Love is a Killer
by xtr75
Summary: Charlie Buckton was given one task - protect the Force's #1 witness, Joey Collins. It was a job she'd done plenty of times before, yet nothing prepared her for what was about to happen. Soon on the run, with secrets, bad guys and jilted lovers on their trail and not able to trust anyone, let alone each other, Charlie and Joey are forced to keep one step ahead just to stay alive.
1. Chapter 1

_Finally my new story is here. I hope you enjoy it._

* * *

"Who is she?" Senior Constable Charlotte 'Charlie' Buckton asked the Sergeant standing next to her. They were both looking through a window at a young woman sitting alone in a room.

"Her name is Josephine Collins," Sgt Nick Parish answered. "And she is our most important guest."

Considering the morning news had been plastered wall to wall with coverage of the overnight murder of former Mayor, Harvey Ryan, Charlie eyed their newest VIP with renewed interest. Usually her instincts let her read witnesses with just one look and that look would tell her if the person was an innocent in the wrong place at the wrong time or a not so innocent who got caught red handed and was willing to squeal on others to avoid a lengthy sentence. Their latest guest was hard to read though. The woman was sitting at the table in the room, looking relaxed and not in the least bit perturbed or angry at being stuck in a hot and stuffy room for hours or at the dangerous situation she now found herself in. Charlie estimated the woman's age to be early to mid-twenties and she had that girl-next-door-appearance, with long dark hair tied in a loose ponytail and kind brown eyes that were looking right at her, even though she knew the woman couldn't see her behind the one-way window.

* * *

Joey continued to stare at the glass. She knew they were there, even if she couldn't see them. She'd seen the movies. The cops would put the witness or accused into a room and leave them waiting while they watched from a one-way window. They were probably discussing and dissecting her as if she was some exhibit on display.

She wondered what they thought of her. She knew that on the outside she probably looked relaxed, because she'd learnt at such a young age to not let her inside emotions reflect on her outward appearances. Call it self-preservation on her part, but she was most definitely frustrated and pissed at being in here, even if she didn't look so to those eyeballing her. She was also worried. Joey knew all about the people involved in this. You could hardly avoid it when their business dealings and the unfortunate consequences that befell people like her, were always there in the bold headlines of many a news story, as was the Police Force's inability to arrest them and make the charges stick. One brave journo had even accused the police of corruption, that some of them were on the take, which was why evidence and witnesses had a nasty habit of disappearing. Permanently. Just as the journo who'd broken the story had disappeared.

If she was going to disappear, Joey was going to make sure it was on her own terms. She wasn't about to trust the cops, that was for sure.

* * *

"What do we have on her?" Charlie asked Nick. She knew the first thing they would have done once they had Collins in protective custody, was to run as thorough a background check on her as they could in the short time available to them.

"Not a whole lot," admitted Nick. "Grew up in foster care," he said. "Bounced from home to home but managed to avoid the pitfalls that some like her fall into."

"No record then?"

"Not even a parking ticket."

"That has me worried."

"What, that she doesn't have a parking ticket?"

Charlie nodded with a grin. "Everyone is in a hurry these days, so they park wherever they can, legally or not."

"We're talking about her, not you," he joked and Charlie's smile grew wider. It was a running joke that at the rate she acquired parking tickets, her car would soon be flattened under the weight. "Anyway, back to our witness. She's 23, no close family within the foster system that we're aware of," he said. "Her work history is varied because she flitters from job to job, though most of it is odd jobs around boats and the docks."

"Any connection to our suspects?"

He shook his head. "None that has been found. We'll run a deeper check when we can, but for the moment, she just appears to have had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the right time." He stared in at their witness.

"What exactly did she see?"

"A squad car picked her up fleeing the scene and she wasn't too keen on saying anything at first, in fact she tried to claim that she saw and heard nothing," he told her. "Snr Const. Nash said at the time of them stopping her, she was twitchy and hesitant, wanting out of there as fast as she could."

Charlie knew of Nash and how he operated. "Let me guess, Joel pointed out to her that if the gunman suspected she'd seen anything, then letting her live under any circumstances was too risky."

"Pretty much," he said. "According to Collins, the shot was fired just as she rounded the corner, but she got a good look at the man standing over the body with a gun in his hand and the description she gave matches a known associate of the Braxtons; Penn Graham."

Charlie had definitely heard that name before. Penn Tiberius Graham. He was a suspected gun for hire who plied his trade to the highest bidder, which was why his name was often linked to the Braxtons. Not that any of this could actually be proven, even with a taskforce formed for just that. Day and night they toiled away, but these people were careful to cover their tracks and in Penn Graham's case, they had no clue to where he even came from. He just seemed to drift into town as necessary, then disappear just as quickly.

"She can also place Heath Braxton, Kyle Braxton and Brodie Upton in the vicinity," Nick said.

"Then why haven't they been arrested?" She hadn't heard anything to suggest that they had been.

"She only saw Penn standing over the body, while the others were just in the vicinity and we both know any half decent lawyer would get that thrown out in an instant," said Nick. "We need to get the shooter first, make him talk, then we move on the Braxtons. Until then, we don't want anyone to know that we have a witness to Ryan's murder." He sighed softly as he studied their prized guest. "Witnesses against the Braxtons are hard to come by because people are scared of them, and justifiably so since a few of them have been permanently disappeared by them," he said. "And last night was just another demonstration by them of their reach and viciousness, so we're playing it safe this time. No one else outside our little group is to know about her until we can be certain of her safety, have the shooter in our custody and we have enough evidence to tie the Braxtons to the murder. We want murder charges on all, especially Daryl Braxton. He might not have been there, but his brothers don't take a shit unless he gives the order, so he was behind this hit."

"Forensics?" asked Charlie.

"The usual."

"In other words, nothing."

"That's why they hire professionals like Penn Graham to deal with problems like Ryan."

"What was Ryan doing there?" Charlie asked. "Was he meeting with them?"

"He managed to evade the surveillance team, so we're assuming it was to meet up with the Braxtons," replied Nick.

"Ryan had to know how stupid that was."

Harvey Ryan had been a big time businessman who only last year, had also been the mayor of the city, until one too many questions over planning rights he'd signed off on and some questionable associations had seen him facing corruption charges and stripped of his mayoral title. Rumours had long linked him to the Braxtons, a family of four brothers that had begun as a surfy gang called the River Boys, before graduating upward to what now amounted to a drug cartel. A taskforce had been formed with the sole purpose of bringing the cartel down and so when whispers had begun circulating about a falling out between Harvey Ryan and the Braxtons, Ryan had been placed under surveillance. The leader of the taskforce, a Robert Robertson, had since been exerting pressure on Ryan, trying to get him to talk. Ryan was a lot of things, but being dumb usually wasn't one of them, so he'd kept his mouth shut, which had forced Robertson to try another tactic. He'd let the implication get out to the right ears, that Ryan had been talking to the cops, which had effectively guaranteed a target was placed on Ryan's back.

"I'm not sure Ryan had any choice last night," Nick said to her. "His daughter went missing hours before he was murdered."

"Shit," muttered Charlie. Ryan might have been a corrupt bastard, but he was well known for being a devoted father to his daughter, even more so after the tragic death of his son in a boating accident. Lottie would have been the perfect pawn to use against him.

"It's ok, the girl was found safe and well first thing this morning. Claims she was with a boyfriend and just lost track of time, but she was obviously lying," he said.

"They used her to draw Ryan right to them."

Nick nodded in agreement. "Even knowing he'd likely be walking to his death, there was no way he'd refuse to meet them once they had her."

"How long can these bastards keep getting away with this," she muttered angrily.

"Keep our witness alive and we may have our best shot ever in bringing all of them down," Parish told her.

"You really think Graham will talk?" she asked. "'Cos I don't and the chances of Penn Graham even being found are remote to say the least, so I could be stuck babysitting for a very long time."

"This isn't our only avenue to bringing them down," Nick said. "Word has come through of a big drug deal going down in the near future and we know the Braxtons like to keep their protection close at hand in those times. We find out the when and where of the deal, that will get us closer to Graham and with a bit of luck, we use Collins' testimony to make him talk or we're lucky enough to actually catch the Braxtons in the midst of a drug deal as well."

"There are a lot of ifs and buts with all of this."

"That's the nature of the game."

"It's a fucking deadly game to play." Charlie turned her back on their witness. There was another concern for her. "How true are the rumours of the Braxtons having people on the inside here?"

"I'd like to say no truth at all," he replied. "But there have been too many coincidences to outright dismiss the rumours, which is why we're keeping our witness so tightly under wraps," Nick told her. "And only me, you and your new partner will be aware of the location of the safe house."

Charlie frowned. "New partner? What happened to Jack?" Const. Jack Holden was her regular partner and while she wouldn't exactly call him a friend, she'd grown used to having him on these type of details.

"A few concerns have recently been raised regarding Jack."

"Surely you're not implying he's one of the inside men?"

"Of course not," Nick assured her. "It's more about his recent behaviour."

"He's got a few issues at home, that's all."

"It may only be a few, but they're major issues," said Nick. "His pregnant wife has left him, he has no idea if he's the father of her baby, his step-mother whom he was extremely close to, recently died in a car accident and he's been drowning his sorrows with booze," he said. "Jack is distracted and not up to an assignment of this gravity and importance."

"A job like this could be the perfect way to get him back in shape."

"Do you really want to trust him when he can barely turn up to work without knocking back a few beers on the way?"

Charlie sighed and reluctantly shook her head. "No," she said. "Who's my new partner then?"

"Constable Georgina Watson. She might be a bit green in some areas, but her record to date speaks for itself." He gave a knowing grin to her. "In fact, a lot of comparisons are being made between her and a certain young, up and coming Constable from a few years back."

"If she's anything like I was, then she's going to be a know it all pain in the arse," quipped Charlie, remembering exactly what she'd been like when she had first graduated. Lucky for her, she'd had an understanding and rather easy going Snr Constable overseeing her rookie days and he had tempered her arrogance and enthusiasm, while at the same time, guided and helped to shape her into the successful officer she was now, and without the man standing beside her, she'd probably have burnt out or put so many noses out of joint, that she wouldn't have been welcome if she'd stayed the same person back then.

"You can relax Charlie," he told her. "In that area, she's nothing like you," he said. "The comparisons being made are merely about her skills and potential."

"How did you ever survive working with me?"

"Believe me, you weren't the worst I'd ever worked with and I saw something in you that made me want to work with you," he told her. "And you've repaid my faith in you by becoming the fine officer you are now."

"When does the greenie get here?"

"She'll be here at 8.30, then you can both acquaint yourself with the witness and get the hell out of here." Nick started to walk away, then stopped. "Oh and Charlie, she's a lesbian, so be careful."

Charlie stared at him, a little affronted he'd even feel the need to say that. "Nick, you know I'd never get involved with a protectee."

"I was talking about your new partner," he explained with a grin. "I have no idea as to what Miss Collins' sexual orientation is, but even if she is gay, I have every confidence you wouldn't be that dumb as to overstep that line."

"Oh." She was blushing. She should have known Nick wouldn't be warning her not to break the rules. Sleeping with a colleague on the other hand? Well, she had gained a bit of a rep for charming the pants off her fellow officers, even the straight ones, but never committing to any of them. Her career was her life, so that came first, but that didn't mean she was going to deny her body the simple pleasures of another woman and since she rarely had time to date outside of work, it meant that most of the women she slept with, also wore the uniform. Some however, hadn't been so happy with her love 'em and leave 'em approach. It was hardly her fault. She was always completely up front with them from the start that there would be no relationship outside the bed, so she was hardly to blame if they fell for her.

"Charlie, I have no problem with the way you conduct your life outside of work, but this is the first time you've had a female partner on an assignment where you're basically on the job 24/7."

"I understand," she said. And she did. Seducing someone you were going to be around night and day while living under the same roof, would be a recipe for disaster.

* * *

At 8.30am on the dot, a very young looking Constable knocked on the door and then entered the observation room where Charlie was keeping an eye on their witness. A bit green, Nick had said. Jesus, he hadn't been kidding. She barely looked legal. The Constable was a little shorter than herself, though a bit fuller figured. Her pants and shirt were neatly pressed and framed her figure perfectly. Every hair was in place. As she neared, Charlie realised she was older than she looked. It was more her eyes. While bright and enthusiastic, they spoke of intelligence and confidence, with a hint of challenge in them.

"Fuck, she was me a few years back," she mumbled and Nick's gentle reminder started ringing in her ears. Her younger partner was attractive in her own way, a woman she wouldn't say no to under other circumstances, but what was most striking about her, was her swagger. There was a teasing cockiness to her swagger that was kind of a turn on and Charlie suspected that Watson had little trouble with pulling in the ladies. "Oh boy, this was going to be a long assignment," she murmured to herself and she wasn't talking about the many months this was likely to take.

"Snr Const. Buckton?" the Constable asked.

"That's right," Charlie replied. "You must be Const. Watson. It's nice to meet you."

"You too, ma'am." They shook hands and Watson stood right next to her and peered through the window. "Is she why I'm here?"

"What have you been told?"

"Only that I've been detailed to Protective Services."

"You haven't done this before?" Charlie said, slightly horrified, not to mention, annoyed at Nick for not making her aware of that fact. It was one thing to be assigned a new partner, but one who was not only a bit green, but completely inexperienced in this particular field of expertise, was another thing entirely. It was going to be like babysitting two women on this job. Two rather attractive women, she noted, before reminding herself that both women came with a huge 'Do Not Touch' neon light flashing above their heads. Charlie sighed. This could very well end up being the worst kind of hell.

"No ma'am," said Watson. "This will be my first protective assignment."

"Then I hope you're a quick learner and take orders without hesitation, because this is one job where you will need to be on the alert 24/7 and be ready to move at a moment's notice should something go wrong."

"I'm a very quick study ma'am and more than ready to react when necessary."

"Then you can start by dropping the ma'am," Charlie told her. "We're going to be posing as civilians, so it's Charlie from now on and you will be Georgina."

"If it's all the same ma'," she caught herself with a wry smile. "If it's all the same Charlie, I prefer Georgie."

"Georgie it is," said Charlie. "Are you ready to meet our third wheel?"

"Ooh, I love meeting new people," Watson said, her mouth quirking at the edges.


	2. Chapter 2

"Ah, you must be the babysitters that other cop told me to expect," Joey Collins said without much humour behind her words. "About time I saw some life around here after being stuck in here for hours," she said. She really wanted to be elsewhere, yet as she finally took a moment to appraise the two officers, she had to admit, that at least the scenery during her enforced confinement was going to be rather enjoyable. The slightly taller one in particular captured her attention. Those eyes, now intently regarding her, were like blue laser beams trying to read into her soul. Fuck, she really needed to be careful here and she broke the gaze and tilted her head to her right. "Actually, I take that back about seeing some life, since you two look as lively as corpses at a funeral," she said with a smirk.

Watson coughed behind her hand while Charlie openly smiled in response.

"Jesus, she's going to kill me if she does that too often," thought Joey.

It hadn't taken Charlie long to gauge her protectee's sexual orientation. That had been answered when she saw the way the woman had eyed her up and down with a look of appreciation. Charlie had watched the appraisal with some humour, then she'd raised a brow when those soulful eyes had caught hers, before they'd quickly looked away. Soulful? Where did that come from? They were though. There was a great depth to those eyes that was somewhat captivating to her. What secrets lay behind there, she wondered?

"I'm Snr Const. Charlie Buckton and this is Const. Georgina Watson," Charlie informed her. "That's Charlie and Georgie from now on."

"Nice to meet you Charlie and Georgie," Joey said. "I'm pissed."

Was she though, wondered Charlie, because despite her words, there was a calmness about this woman that Charlie found a little unnerving. She was a witness to a murder and now because of what she'd seen, her life was in danger. In effect, her whole life was about to be turned completely upside down. She was going to be forced to live with two strangers and change the way she lived her life, yet still, there was this calmness about her. It was a little weird, but she supposed, not entirely unexpected. People reacted differently and when it came to dealing with witnesses under her protection, Charlie had seen all sorts of reactions to the situations they found themselves in. From anger, to fear, to arrogance, to sullenness, to all sorts. She'd been abused by some, others would refuse to talk or listen to her and some even mistook their protective officers for their personal servants. This particular part of her job had certainly offered a varied experience, especially since not all of her protectees were innocents. Some of those were the worst to deal with, because you couldn't really trust them to abide by the terms of the agreement, that had seen the charges dropped or downgraded against them, in return for becoming prosecution witnesses. For some of them, they saw protective services as a chance to be taken away from the danger and then running at the first convenient time. More than once, she'd had to go running after them and when she caught up to them - and she always did - she made damn sure that they were less inclined to think of doing it again.

While all these thoughts were going through her head, Charlie's eyes never left Joey's face. She was curious as to which type of witness this woman was going to fall into and how she was going to react once they were out from behind the protection of this building.

"Nice to meet you Ms Pissed," Charlie finally replied and she received a reluctant grin in response. "Now, we'll try to make this as comfortable for you as we can, but from this moment on, Georgie and I are responsible for your safety and so there are going to be some ground rules in place that you're going to have to abide by," she told her.

"Great, rules, just what I need," muttered Joey.

"Miss Collins, I know you don't want to be here, but your life is now in danger and we're going to need your cooperation to help us keep you safe."

"And I'm not in danger from the cops?" Joey fired back. "I've seen the stories in the news, you guys are as bad as the damn criminals."

"I admit, there may be some among us who may have betrayed the uniform, but I'm not one of them." Charlie turned to Watson. "Georgie, are you on the take?"

"Of absolutely, that's why I live in a cubby hole masquerading as an apartment," Watson flippantly replied with a grin. "For the record, I am not corrupt, I've never even fudged the time on my timesheet."

"And I'm certainly not corrupt either," said Charlie.

"And I'm just meant to take your word on that?" Joey said. "Even if you were corrupt, you'd just deny it."

"Then you're shit out of luck because you're stuck with us," Charlie told her.

"Don't I even get to choose who my jailors will be?"

"No."

"I can see you're going to be a barrel of fun."

"This isn't about fun," Charlie pointed out. "It's about keeping you safe."

"Yeah, so you and Sergeant Plod out there keep telling me," she muttered. "So, how much longer am I going to be stuck here for?"

"I just have a couple of forms to fill out and Georgie and I need to get into some casual gear," Charlie replied. "Then we can head straight to the motel."

"What about my things?" complained Joey. "Clothes and shit."

"We can't let you go home, so we'll make some arrangements for clothing and toiletries once we're in the motel," Charlie told her.

"This is a waste of time, I really didn't see anything," Joey murmured.

Charlie sighed. It was amazing how many suffered memory problems when the enormity of their situation really started to hit. "You'll have plenty of time to think things over," Charlie murmured back. "Now, we'll only be staying at the motel for the next couple of days or so, just while a safe house is made ready for us," she informed both of them. She glanced at her watch. "We'll be back shortly," she said to Joey.

"What's going to be our cover?" asked Watson.

"That hasn't been sorted yet," she said. "This has all happened rather quickly."

"It's going to have to be something interesting to explain three women just rocking up together to a new place."

"Yeah, I know," said Charlie. "My regular partner is a man, so it's usually a little easier to come up with cover stories, but I'm sure they'll figure something out."

"A ménage a trios," joked Watson as she and Charlie walked out of the room. Charlie closed the door on the rather colourful response coming from their witness to Watson's suggestion.

"This is going to be one of those really fun ones," Charlie sarcastically said to Watson and the younger woman chuckled. They'd only just met, but Charlie already found herself liking the young Constable, which was a relief, because in spite of Nick's assurances to the contrary, she'd still been half-afraid Watson would turn out to be a pain in the arse, yet the way she appeared to be taking everything in her stride and showed signs of having a sense of humour, it boded well for their upcoming assignment together. The less conflict between them, the better it would be for all.

"Where is the safe house likely going to be?" asked Watson in a whisper.

"We won't know until it's time to go there."

"They're really playing this close to the chest this time."

"Do you blame us?" murmured Charlie. "With Harvey dead, she's now one of our most valuable assets."

* * *

"Oh, you have got to be fucking joking," Joey said as the car came to a stop at the Sunset Motel. "This place looks like a dump."

Charlie was inclined to agree, not that she would say it aloud. "It's perfectly suited to our needs," she told both the other occupants of the car.

"Yeah, a need for a delousing after we leave," Joey fired back. "I doubt this place even has a one star rating."

"It's out of the way, quiet and we'll only be here for a couple of days," Charlie reminded her. "Like I said, it suits our needs."

"I might be with Joey on this," Watson murmured to her. "I feel dirty from just looking at the place."

"I've been here before," Charlie said. "It's much better on the inside."

"God, I hope so," Charlie heard Watson mutter.

* * *

Surprisingly, the room wasn't so bad on the inside, thought Joey. It was clean at least and the beds appeared freshly made. She stared more intently at those beds for a moment. "A double and a single?" Joey was the first to point out the set up. "The double is mine," she informed them. "You two can share the single."

"Nice try," said Charlie. "The single is yours since you will have to pass us if you want to try to sneak out," she explained. "Not that you can get out without this key to the deadlock." She held it up for Joey to see.

"Jeez, if I wanted to sneak out, I'd just go out the bathroom window."

"I'd love to see you try that."

Her curiosity peaked, Joey walked over to the bathroom.

"A mouse could barely get through that tiny window," Charlie said from right behind her.

Joey tried not to react to the warm breath against her neck.

"Like I said, this place suits our needs," Charlie rather smugly said.

* * *

"Could you please pick a channel and stay on it?" Charlie said through gritted teeth.

Joey's reply was to flick through the channels even faster. "How can there be all these channels and nothing worth watching," she muttered aloud. It was evening, which meant they'd been here most of the day, yet she'd been bored out of her mind within the first couple of hours.

"Georgie will be back with some dvds any minute."

"If you'd let me bring my laptop, we could have already been watching something online."

"I told you before, you can't have access to your laptop."

"Yeah, funny how you left mentioning that little titbit until after we were already here," she grumbled. "And you tossed my phone."

"I explained why."

"You honestly think someone could track me through my laptop and phone?"

"We can't take the risk of someone hacking into your computer or phone and trying to do just that."

"Sounds pretty farfetched."

"It's just an added precaution," Charlie told her. It was also to keep their protectee from contacting anyone and blowing their location, she added silently. Joey muttered a few unintelligible words just as her younger colleague returned.

"Movies, dinner and popcorn is here," Watson announced.

"Did you get my beer?" queried Joey.

"Yes, I got your beer." Watson spared a glance at Charlie, who seemed to know what she was asking without even having to say it.

"You're fine to have a couple of lights yourself, but just remember, you need to keep alert at all times."

"I will," she assured her. "Do you want one?"

"Not tonight."

* * *

Joey lathered her leg, then ran the newly acquired razor along it. The door to the bathroom blocked out a fair bit of noise from the other room, which at least gave her some semblance of privacy from her new housemates. She actually quite liked that Georgie girl. She was friendly, even a little flirty and she had that youthful enthusiasm that was quite infectious. Charlie on the other hand, was wound so tight, Joey half expected her to take off.

Georgie would certainly like to get Charlie off, Joey chuckled softly. She was positive that Georgie had a crush on Charlie. Not that she could blame her. High strung she may be, but there was no denying that Charlie was one hot looking woman. It was just a shame that the humour she'd shown signs of having at the Station was gone. Joey supposed she was just taking her job seriously. She sighed. Since that job was to protect her, she probably should cut her some slack. Except she didn't want to. She wanted away from them. No, she needed to be away from them and from here.

* * *

"She's off limits," Charlie told her younger partner when she caught her glancing toward the bathroom.

"A little flirting never hurt," Watson replied. "And who knows, it might help to have her friendly with at least one of us."

"Just not too friendly."

"Relax Charlie," she told her. "She's safe from me." Watson smirked at Charlie. "You on the other hand..." She left the rest unsaid, but she dangled her handcuffs from her fingers and then laughed when Charlie nearly choked on her drink.

Charlie glared at the woman and couldn't help but shake her head in bemusement at the mirth she saw in her eyes. The woman was a tease and enjoying this a little too much.

* * *

Sitting up in the double bed, Charlie put the book she'd been reading aside and glanced over at Joey. She was already asleep, though not very restfully, if her tossing and turning was anything to go by. Under the circumstances, she wasn't surprised that Joey was having trouble sleeping. Her whole life had been uprooted and she was now sharing a strange room with two women she barely knew.

Just then, her attention was diverted by the bathroom door opening and Watson walking out in just her bra and knickers. The woman certainly had no qualms about walking around half-naked and with a body like that, she couldn't blame her.

"A belly button ring," she then murmured in surprise. The woman might be all professional when in uniform, but Charlie was getting the sense that once she was out of it, Watson was a whole different woman. Charlie's eyes widened even further when Watson turned her back on her and she saw the tattoo for the first time. It ran from the top of her buttocks to her shoulders and depicted a tiger blended within a bunch of roses. She wasn't a big fan of tattoos, but Charlie found this one to be quite beautiful.

Watson felt Charlie's eyes on her and smiled to herself as she picked up her bag and searched for the oversized Marvin the Martian t-shirt she liked to sleep in. She turned slightly as she removed her bra so that Charlie would get a good side profile view of her breast. It worked as she heard Charlie's sharp intake of breath. She suspected Charlie would never let anything happen between them, but she didn't care, she was having fun just with the teasing.

Slipping into the t-shirt, Watson then checked the windows and door, before strutting over to the bed. She set her watch on the side table and climbed under the covers. "Night," she said to Charlie as she rolled onto her side, presenting her back to her. She smiled at the stiffness she felt coming from her bed partner.

"Good night," Charlie managed to strangle out. If Jack had still been her partner, he would have taken one of the chairs, but Charlie had thought there would be no problems sharing a bed with Watson. Now she wasn't so sure.


	3. Chapter 3

Waking early the next morning, Charlie felt something warm and firm against her and it took her a moment to remember where she was. Then another moment to realise that warm firmness was Watson. Sometime during the night, Watson had turned onto her back and Charlie had gravitated toward her. Then she noticed something else.

"Oh shit," she muttered and quickly took her hand from where it had been resting on Watson's breast. The younger woman murmured in her sleep and Charlie held her breath, afraid she'd wake and find her almost lying half on top of her. When Watson's eyes remained closed, Charlie carefully rolled away and let her breath out.

As Charlie crept from the bed, she didn't see the little smile on Watson's face.

* * *

"Ok Nick, I'll be there in 30," Charlie said and she disconnected the call.

"News?" asked Watson.

"Nothing he'd say over the phone," she replied as she glanced at her watch. It was nearing 5pm. "It's most likely an update about the safe house." She grabbed her car keys. "Make sure you keep an eye on her," Charlie said with a nod toward Joey. "With me gone, I don't want her getting any ideas that she can try something on with only you here."

"She won't get one over on me."

"I know that," Charlie said. "But she may think that with your relative inexperience, she might stand a better chance with you than she would with me."

"You honestly think she will try something?"

Charlie glanced over at Joey. She was sitting at the table playing solitaire with a deck of cards, appearing much more relaxed now than she had been throughout most of the day, when she'd fidgeted in her seat or paced restlessly and on more than one occasion, Charlie had even caught her eyeing off the door. Probably imagining there was freedom on the other side. It was a common response to situations like this. Being cooped up was never fun and in a way, it was easy for witnesses to feel like they were the prisoners, no matter how accommodating she tried to be toward them. Sometimes that feeling of perceived captivity would fade as they accepted their lot and other times, it could intensify and they'd grow even more restless. Those were the trickiest times, and when she and her partner would need to be the most alert to any attempt their protectee might make toward contacting someone on the outside or trying to make a run for it. Charlie frowned and pondered the current status of her protectee. Joey really had settled down in the last hour or so, but was that because she'd finally accepted her fate or was she playing possum with the intention of throwing them off balance when the right time arose, she had no idea. The woman was just so damn hard to read at times.

"Charlie?" Watson said.

"Sorry, my mind wondered," she murmured. She stared at Joey a moment longer, before turning back to her colleague. "Look, she'll probably be fine, but just play it safe and don't let your guard down around her."

"Will do."

"I shouldn't be gone too long," Charlie told her. "And I'll grab us some tea on the way back. Chinese or fish n chips?"

"Burger with the lot from that fish n chip place down the road," replied Watson. "Make sure they don't forget the beetroot."

Charlie nodded and then called out to their witness. "Joey, what do you want for tea?" she asked. "I'm going to the fish n chip shop after my meeting."

"Chicken souvlaki with garlic sauce and extra onions," Joey said without looking up from her cards.

"Garlic sauce and extra onions," Watson murmured to Charlie. "With that combo, you can sleep on the side of the bed closest to her tonight."

"Gee, thanks."

* * *

"Any word yet?" Watson asked Charlie when she returned from her meeting with Nick Parish.

"The safe house will be ready day after tomorrow," she replied.

"They're taking their sweet time getting it ready," murmured Watson.

"Just being ultra cautious," said Charlie. "Few want to admit it out loud, but I think there is a genuine concern about corruption in the Force with links to the Braxtons, which makes what we're doing doubly dangerous."

Before the conversation could go any further, a woman's screams interrupted them.

"Joey!" they said in unison and bolted for the bathroom, guns drawn at the ready as they burst through the door.

"Clear," Watson said after a quick scan of the room. Of course it was clear, thought Charlie. There had been no way for anyone to have gotten into the bathroom to get to Joey without passing them first, but they'd reacted instinctively to Joey's screams and despite the lack of danger, Charlie was pleased to have seen the way in which Watson had responded to a potential emergency situation.

The police officers holstered their weapons and stared at the scene before them. Their witness was standing on top of the toilet seat cover, completely naked. Her body was glistening wet, so she'd obviously just stepped out of the bath.

"What's wrong?" Charlie finally managed to ask through her amusement.

"That!" Joey said, pointing to the floor.

Charlie frowned. All she could see was a spider scurrying across the bathroom tiles. "What, the spider?"

"Yes, that ugly, eight legged bug eyed monstrosity."

"It's barely bigger than a 50 cent piece."

"Who cares how big it is!" screeched Joey. "A spider is a still a fucking spider however big it is."

Joey's phobia seemed very real, which was the only thing that stopped Charlie from laughing aloud at her situation.

"Can you please get rid of it," Joey pleaded with them. She hated the whine in her voice and admitting to any weakness, but there was little point in denying she was shit scared of spiders, when she was standing starkers on top of the dunny.

Charlie noticed that Watson was gazing at Joey's nakedness with an appreciative smirk. Even she had to admit that Joey naked was something to behold, but she wouldn't show it as obviously as Watson was. With a bit more experience, she hoped Watson would learn to mask her expressions better. "Georgie, why don't you go and get the table ready for tea."

"Sure," she said, taking one last, lingering look at Joey on the way out.

Reaching for the robe resting on the hook on the back of the door, Charlie handed it to Joey. "Thanks," Joey murmured and quickly covered her nakedness. She hadn't been that bothered by the two women seeing her naked, she'd been more embarrassed by her reaction to the spider. "Now, can you please get rid of that," she said, pointing to the offending creature.

She wasn't exactly a fan of spiders herself, so Charlie approached it with a bit of reluctance.

"Just squish the ugly thing," Joey told her.

"I can't just kill it."

"Why not?"

"Because it's not hurting anyone."

"It's hurting my fucking ego," Charlie heard Joey mumble.

After finding something to put the spider on, Charlie coaxed it onto it and then rushed to the window, opened it and tossed the little beast outside as quickly as she could. She turned back to Joey. "This house is clean," she said in her best Tangina impersonation from the movie they'd watched earlier that day.

"I'd rather deal with poltergeists than spiders," Joey muttered.

"Tea is ready, so I'll leave you to finish up in here," Charlie told her and left the bathroom. It was night two of their vigil and aside from Joey's restlessness, this had been the most excitement they'd had so far and Charlie hoped to keep it like that. The more boring, the better it was in some ways and as long as there were no more spiders, they might just survive their stay at this Motel.

* * *

 **The next day…**

"As our adventure now draws to a close on its third night, our intrepid duo continue to sit guard outside the bathroom, while their witness plays with her rubber ducky in the bathtub," Watson said into the end of her pen. "This is Const. Georgie Watson, signing off."

"Is that going to be your official report for the day?" Charlie said, amused by her younger colleague's antics.

"Well, I could have added all the fun we've had since you came back from seeing Sgt Parish yesterday evening," replied Watson. "There was that game of poker or two we had, then there was monopoly and most exciting of all, there was that game of solitaire you played while Joey and I watched Sharknado."

"If I'd had any idea that you enjoyed those god awful movies, I'd have requested a new partner," Charlie told her. "They're just so ridiculous," she carried on. "I mean, how dumb is it to have sharks flying through the air, landing on cars and opening them up like tin cans?" she asked. "For starters, how the hell do the sharks even survive out of the water?"

"Of course they're so ridiculous Charlie, that's the whole point of these movies," Watson pointed out. "They're the sort of movies where you leave your brain at the door, suspend all disbelief and then just let yourself go along for the ride."

"No thanks."

"We're barely at the start of this assignment Charlie, so how exactly do you intend to spend the many, many, many hours we're all going to be stuck together?"

"Once we're in the safe house tomorrow, we'll have a little more freedom to move around and do things," Charlie said. "And I can assure you, that I am well experienced at finding ways to pass the time on these long assignments."

"I know plenty of ways to pass the time as well," Watson said and Charlie tried not to flush at the suggestiveness behind her words and smirk. "In fact, since this is to be our last night in this lovely motel room, how about we make the most of it?"

"And how exactly would we do that?" asked Charlie. She knew damn well what Watson was proposing, but she was trying to buy time to think of a way to say no without offending her too much.

"A little body to body fun," replied Watson.

"That would be such a bad idea," Charlie said and she took an even bigger swig of her drink in a vain attempt to cool down. "Georgie, we could be stuck on this duty together for a long time yet, so lets not fuck it up with a romantic entanglement."

"I'm not talking about a romance here, Charlie," Watson said as she siddled up to her side. "Just a little bit of strings free fucking between two women who are obviously hot for each other."

"I am not hot for you."

"You should tell your body that," Watson whispered into her ear and Charlie shivered. "I know you Charlie, you're the love 'em and leave 'em type and I'm totally fine with that," she said. "It's just a bit of fun Charlie."

This really was such a bad idea, yet Charlie was surely tempted to take her up on it. In the last couple of days, she'd been right in recognising that Watson had posed the greatest risk to her at this time. Watson had known it as well, had even played it up and while Charlie should have shut her down from the start, part of her was flattered by the attention and so she'd tried to treat it as a game. It had backfired.

"Come on Charlie," Watson said and she took the drink from Charlie's hand and set it aside. "Joey just got in the bath, so I reckon we have a good half hour or more to engage in some good old fashion fucking," Watson said, since both women knew Joey used her bath time to get time away from them and be alone.

"And if we don't have that much time?" Charlie said, still not quite willing to give in.

"Then we go a little quicker."

Watson's lips were now a few inches from hers. "This really is such a bad idea," Charlie said once more, before closing the distance and crushing her lips to the younger woman's. Nick's warning about letting this happen flew completely out the window as their kiss grew stronger, the floodgates of her desire opening as Watson backed her toward the bed, their clothes being shed along the way.

Charlie felt the bed behind her knees, moments before she tumbled backwards. Watson was on top of her in a flash, their breasts pressed together as their lips once more found each other's. This was such a mistake, she needed to stop this, but she was too fucking horny to think clearly and the moment Watson's lips trailed downward and touched her nipples, she didn't want her to stop. "Oh fuck," she moaned as Watson lavished each of her nipples in turn. "We need to be quick," she managed to remind Watson between pants. Charlie felt Watson's mouth smiling around her nipple.

"Yes we do," Watson said. She grabbed Charlie's hands and moved them above Charlie's head.

"What are you doing?" groaned Charlie when she felt something cold on her wrists, moments before she heard the cuffs snap shut.

* * *

Joey ran the soap the length of her leg. While the door to the bathroom did offer some soundproofing, Joey was still picking up enough noises to guess what was going on on the other side of that door.

"Oh Georgie, you got your girl," she chuckled. The last couple of days, she'd watched Georgie flirting with Charlie and had been amused by the more stoic officer's reactions to the attention and little by little, she'd suspected that Georgie had been breaking down that barrier. Now it seemed as if she'd blasted right through it. She chuckled again.

* * *

"I like to be in total control," Watson whispered in reply and the low growl in her voice made Charlie momentarily forget that she had just been handcuffed to the bed. It was only a fleeting memory lapse, as something else began to feel so very wrong. Charlie's head felt heavy and she was having trouble concentrating.

"Georgie, I'm feeling kinda strange here," Charlie murmured.

"Good," replied Watson. "It means the roofie I slipped into your drink is doing it's last bit."

"What the!" Charlie muttered. Even in her current state of confusion, Watson's words hit her like a brick. "You drugged me?"

"I'd seen you eyeing my body off with interest, but I still wasn't entirely convinced that you'd succumb to my charms without a little pharmaceutical help mixed in," Watson explained with a smirk that made Charlie uncomfortable. "I admit, it's such a shame we can't finish what we started, 'cos I reckon you'd be a fantastic fuck, but business comes first."

The fog lifted briefly from Charlie's mind as her eyes were drawn to what had suddenly appeared in Watson's hand. "Oh shit," she murmured, staring into the barrel of Watson's gun.

"I'm sorry Charlie, but this is the end of the road for us," said Watson. "Or more precisely, the end for you."

The change over her younger partner was amazing. Now, staring into those cold, calculating eyes that had once been filled with youthful enthusiasm and mirth, Charlie realised just how wrong she'd been about Watson. There was no need for her to learn how to better mask her thoughts and feelings, for she'd already mastered that to perfection and now the Georgie she thought she'd known these past days was long gone, and in her place, was someone far more dangerous and predatory.

"Why, Georgie?" the shocked police officer finally managed to ask.


	4. Chapter 4

"Why did I drug and seduce you?" Watson said. "Or why am I holding a gun to your head?"

"Actually, both." She was trying to remain calm while she tried to figure a way out of this. Watson had moved away from her and was slipping into her pants. The gun was still in Watson's hand though, even as she put her shirt on and with her lying naked and handcuffed to the bed, Charlie was having a hard time seeing a way out of this.

"The drugs were added security in case you didn't completely succumb to my seduction," Watson explained as she dressed. "I also couldn't risk you fighting back, so I bided my time and waited for the right moment to slip you a mickey, which tonight proved to be," she said. "As for the actual seduction, well, what better way to get you totally off guard and at my mercy, than to get you naked and cuffed to the bed." Watson smirked in a way that had Charlie's skin crawling. "And you have to admit, this was definitely the most enjoyable way."

"For you maybe," muttered Charlie.

"Come now Charlie, you were all hot and wet for me only moments ago," she teased. "And you can't deny that you didn't love me sucking on your tits, 'cos your body was begging me for more."

"That was the drug talking," Charlie snapped. At least she hoped it was, because being so submissive to someone else during sex wasn't like her at all, yet her body had seemed to respond to Watson and even now, she still felt some of the arousal from before. Oh god, what the fuck was in that drink. She tried to forget where Watson's mouth had been and focus on something else. Her hand. The one holding the gun. Yeah, that wasn't a big help, she thought.

"That's right, blame the drug for you own weakness," Watson sarcastically said. "And let's just forget that you had your hand on my tit the other morning."

"You were awake?"

"Always be alert and on guard, isn't that what you've been telling me over and over again?"

"You traitorous bitch." Anger, yeah, that helped clear the fog some.

"That depends on your point of view," said Watson. "I really am a very loyal employee, it's just that when you have more than one boss, one of them tends to expect you to be more loyal to them than to the other."

"You work for the Braxtons, don't you?"

Watson neither confirmed nor denied the allegation, she just held the gun pointed steadfastly at Charlie's head.

"You're a police officer, Georgie."

"And funnily enough, I do enjoy the job, even the god awful stuffiness of the uniform," she admitted. "In fact, being a cop makes my extracurricular services even more valuable."

"Let me go, Georgie and you can still get out of this."

Watson laughed. "Oh, you're hilarious, Charlie," she sniggered. "You're buck naked and cuffed to the bed, yet here you are, still acting like you can talk me around."

"Fine, then I'll scream."

"Scream and I'll fucking put a bullet in your head."

"You're going to kill me anyway."

"Yeah, but if you force me to, I could make it very painful for both you and Joey," she said. "So don't scream and I'll give you more of the drug to knock you out, then you won't feel the bullet smashing through your skull."

"I think I'm going to be sick."

"Throw up if you need to, the mess won't bother me," said Watson.

* * *

Joey grabbed her towel. She'd have loved to have lain in the tub for longer, but her skin already looked like a prune and she suspected both Georgie and Charlie would be in need of a shower or bath themselves. Thinking of them, she couldn't hear anything now aside from a few muffled sounds, so were they done? And if not, what now? Did she throw open the door and catch them in the act, or did she make enough noise to warn them she was done in here and allow them time to make themselves presentable?

"Oh fuck this, why the hell should I even care if they get embarrassed if I see them at it," she murmured.

* * *

This really was turning out to be the shittiest of nights, thought Charlie and getting killed by her own partner was not how she ever saw herself dying. Scratch that. Cuffed, naked and killed by her own partner was definitely not the way she ever envisioned her exit from this world. Unfortunately, she couldn't see any other ending, except to try to delay the inevitable for as long as possible and pray like hell for help to arrive in time.

"So what happens now?" Charlie asked, fervently hoping that Watson would play along to her delaying tactics.

"I kill you."

"I know that," said Charlie. "I'm talking about afterward."

"Oh, I get it," she said. "You expect me to divulge my plans to you?"

"Why not, you're going to kill me anyway."

"This isn't the movies where I tell all, only for you to then escape and bring me down," she said. "I will tell you this though. I plan to come out of this as a hero."

"There is no way that will happen."

"Ok, I'll bite and tell you," said Watson. "You see, here is how my report will go." She waved the gun at Charlie. "This is your gun, which Joey had got a hold of after I had stepped from the room to get some fresh air," she said. "And Joey, in her desperation to avoid testifying against the Braxtons, used your own gun to kill you, whether intentionally or accidently will remain one of life's many mysteries, but before she could get away, I returned. She panicked, tried to shoot me as well, only I was quicker and her brains end up all over the room," Watson gleefully informed her. "You can picture the scene can't you Charlie? How when backup arrives, they'll find you dead and your killer on the ground with your gun in her hand and with me as the only living witness to explain what happened here." To Charlie, it was as if Watson was discussing what to have for dinner, so casual was her whole demeanour. "How is that for a plan?"

"It sucks," Charlie said through gritted teeth.

"I admit, it might not be perfect, but at least I'll be alive to talk my way out of any detail I may have overlooked," she said. "Believe me Charlie, with a naked and dead cop who failed in her duties and yet another dead witness on their hands, we both know the Brass will want to put a lid on this as quickly as possible and so they'll only be too happy to buy into my story, especially given my fine and unblemished reputation within the Force," Watson told her and she smirked confidently.

As much as Charlie hated this woman right now, she suspected Watson might just be crafty enough to pull it off if she had the chance, assuming of course, that she was even telling the truth about what she planned to do. Oh, she believed Watson fully intended to kill her, but she wasn't entirely sold on the plan Watson had just laid out in front of her. However, it was helping to delay things.

"It won't work," said Charlie. "There are just so many variables that could go wrong that even you might struggle to talk your way out of."

"Such as?"

"How will you explain your sweaty DNA being all over the sheets and my body?" she asked. "Your saliva is on me as well and what about the cuffs, the drugs, all of those other little pesky details."

That just brought a chuckle from Watson. "This would be one of those instances where your reputation for seducing fellow officers preceded you," she humorously stated. "I'll freely admit that while Joey was busy bathing, you were busy making me another notch on your bed head and feeling rather used by you once it was all over, I just had to get some fresh air while I figured out how to deal with the situation," she said. "As for the drugs, they're undetectable and the cuffs, well, you haven't had them on long enough to leave marks, so I'll remove them before backup arrives." Watson chuckled again. "Don't you see how perfect this is, Charlie? Everyone is going to believe that your raging hormones were the reason as to why you let your guard down around Joey, that while you were lazing naked on the bed after sex with a junior officer, she was able to get your gun and then ended your life."

"Whatever Braxton is paying you, it's not enough," Charlie said.

"You'd be surprised what a cop on the payroll is worth," she replied, all but confirming who her boss was as far as Charlie was concerned. "Especially useful cops like me."

"You're rather full of yourself, aren't you?" she said, hoping to keep Watson focused on her and distracted from what was now going on behind her

"Just confident in my abilities," said Watson. "After all, I've been at this a long time, yet no one has ever suspected." She smirked at Charlie and ran her eyes the length of her naked body. "And I sure fooled you." Charlie could see Watson's trigger finger start to tighten.

"And I you," Joey said from behind her. Taken completely by surprise, Watson had no time to turn around as the lamp in Joey's hand crashed against her head. With a soft groan, she slumped to the floor, completely out cold. "Not so confident in your abilities now, are you," she joked.

"Oh, thank god," Charlie said. "Quick, get the key for the cuffs and get me out of these things."

"Where is the key?"

"Check her pockets."

Joey dug around for a few seconds, then held up her hand. "Found it."

"Good, now please, get these off me."

"Personally, I think you look rather nice as you are," Joey said as she stood over Charlie.

Charlie rolled her eyes. Once word got out when she filed her report, she was never going to live this down. Not to mention, this was likely to be her last protective services assignment. "Joey, please, I'm getting cold."

"So I noticed," Joey murmured with a glance to Charlie's chest and Charlie found herself blushing.

Unlocking the cuffs, Joey then kept an eye on Watson while Charlie dressed. She needn't have worried though. She'd slugged Watson pretty hard so she'd be napping for some time yet. Joey glanced over her shoulder to Charlie. "We should get out of here as quickly as possible," Joey said.

"We're not going anywhere Joey, I have to call this in," Charlie said as she hurriedly finished dressing. She nearly tumbled over in her haste and she felt the fogginess of the drug kicking back in as the earlier adrenaline rush waned. "Oh god," she murmured and took a moment to regather her balance and thoughts.

"Come on, we gotta go," urged Joey.

"No Joey, I told you, I have to report in about Watson and then arrange to change our whole protection detail for you."

"What if Watson has friends watching us?"

"All the more reason to call for police backup," Charlie said.

"Sorry, no fucking way am I going to trust any more cops," said Joey. "Not after this piece of shit," she said, kicking the unconscious Watson, "Just proved that I was right about you lot. You aren't any better than the people you're after."

"Georgie is one rotten apple and we're not all like her," Charlie tried to reassure her, but she wavered on her feet.

"What's wrong with you?" Joey demanded to know.

"The bitch drugged me."

"Oh that is just fucking wonderful," Joey said.

"Oh god, it feels worse," she complained. "I need to call my Sergeant right now, before I pass out."

"I'm sorry Charlie, that isn't going to happen."

"Oh for fuck's sake," Charlie muttered when for the second time that night, she found herself staring down the barrel of her own gun, this time being competently held in Joey's hand.

* * *

The woman butted her ciggy out on the side of her trolley and tossed it in the bin. It was a sunny morning on a bright new day, yet it was still the same old story for her.

"There has to be more to life than being a motel maid," she muttered. With her blonde hair, blue eyes and killer body, Nicole Franklin had once had the world before her. She'd been the most popular girl in school and top of her class, even the teachers had loved her. Unfortunately, one of her teachers had loved her a little too much and gotten her pregnant, before the bastard had run back to his wife and left her to carry the burden all by herself.

"Bastard," she muttered. Five years later, she still resented him and being a single mother. She did love her son, but not a day went by that she didn't wish for another life. A life that didn't involve cleaning up after other people and cleaning damn toilets. She still had her looks, but the long work hours were beginning to take their toll and her looks were in danger of fading quickly unless she got out of this shit job or met a man who was willing to take on someone else's kid. So far, she'd had little luck in that department. Most men her age weren't ready to settle down or were too immature themselves, so she'd started to set her sights on the older men. Oh who was she kidding. In all likelihood, this was to be her lot in life until she died.

With a sigh of resignation, Nicole reached the next room to clean, her fourth for the morning. Hopefully this room wasn't as bad as the last one, which had had empty bottles strewn everywhere and used condoms hanging off the side of the bin and one even stuck to the wall above the bed. She shuddered. Motels like this, that were out of the way and quiet, always seemed to attract cheating couples whose only goal was to have as much sex as they could squeeze in, before pissing off back to their husbands and wives and leaving behind their messes for poor sods like her to clean up. She raised her hand to knock. This room was supposedly rented to a trio of women, so unless they snuck some men in, then she shouldn't have to worry about condoms.

Nicole knocked on the door. "Housekeeping," she called out. When she didn't hear a reply, she unlocked the door and walked in. She let out an inadvertent scream at the sight that greeted her eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

Charlie groaned and slowly opened her eyes. She squinted at the early morning sunlight streaming through the car window. Well, she assumed it was early morning, because time was a little hazy for her.

"Oh god," she muttered. Her head hurt like anything. Whatever those drugs Watson had slipped into her drink were, they sure packed a hell of a side effect. How the hell had she allowed that to happen? To be drugged and seduced by some wanna be gangster. "Oh god," she said a little louder and attracted the attention of her driver.

"Nice to see you rejoin the land of the living," Joey greeted her cheerfully.

"What happened?"

"You passed out not long after I got you into the car," Joey told her.

"I don't remember getting to the car."

"Not surprised, you were just about out on your feet and I pretty much had to carry you to the car."

Charlie finally noticed the differences to their surroundings. "This isn't the car assigned to us."

"Of course it's not," Joey said. "I had no idea if that car was tagged or not, but either way, it would have been the first thing they'd be on the lookout for once the news hit."

"Then whose car is this?"

"It belonged to some nice person who was kind enough to have left it right where we needed it."

It took a moment to realise what she'd meant at first, then Charlie stared at her in shock.

"You stole it!"

"I borrowed it."

"You stole it."

"I prefer the term, borrowed," Joey said. "It sounds so much better."

"You stole it," repeated Charlie.

"Oh very well, if you're going to persist with it, then yeah, I stole it."

"I can't believe you stole a car," Charlie muttered.

"Didn't really have many options," reasoned Joey.

"It's a crime."

"So is trying to kill us," said Joey. She glanced sideways. "Do your partners always try to kill you and the people they're meant to protect?"

"Of course not," snapped Charlie.

"Just thought I'd ask," Joey casually said. "No need to be snippy."

"Snippy?" said Charlie.

"Precious?"

"How about taking this seriously," muttered Charlie.

"I am, hence the car and putting as much distance between us and what happened back there."

"What did happen back there?" asked Charlie. "What did you do with Georgie?"

"You don't remember that either?"

"Not really," Charlie murmured. "I vaguely remember you braining Georgie, then pulling a gun on me." She glared at Joey. "You pulled a fucking gun on me!" she shrilled.

"That, you remember?"

"Guns in faces are a little hard to forget," she muttered. "I know, because it happened to me twice," Charlie said. "And you still haven't answered my question. What did you do with Georgie?"

* * *

 _Nicole knocked on the door. "Housekeeping," she called out. When she didn't hear a reply, she unlocked the door and walked in. She let out an inadvertent scream at the sight that greeted her eyes._

"Good morning," Watson said and grinned to the maid, not in the least bit self conscious about her current predicament. While she'd been out of it, she had been undressed and handcuffed to the bed in exactly the same way she'd had Charlie, so she must have been quite a sight for the poor young woman who'd just walked in. "Hey, sorry you had to see me like this, but my girlfriend thought it would be funny to leave me here while she stepped out for a bit, only now I really gotta go to the loo, so could you please be a darling and get the handcuff key and let me out?" Watson said with her most charming smile. "The key is in the inside pocket of my jacket on the back of the chair there." She always carried spares, along with spare cuffs in her line of work, she had just never expected to need it like this.

The woman still appeared in a shocked daze as she did as instructed.

"Thank you darlin'," Watson said the moment she was free. The maid jumped a little when Watson flew off the bed. Standing completely naked in front of the maid, Watson smiled disarmingly at her, then laid a gentle kiss on the startled woman's lips. "You're a life saver." Without a hint of embarrassment, she started to dress while the dumbfounded woman watched on. Reaching into her pants pocket, Watson stood once more in front of the maid. Nicole flinched when the woman's hand suddenly came up at her, then she relaxed when she saw the folded up $50 in her fingers. "Thanks again darlin' for the rescue."

"You're welcome," Nicole murmured. A 50 just for unlocking someone from cuffs nearly made up for the previous room.

"You want to give me a few minutes before you start in here?" Watson said.

"Oh, yeah right," mumbled Nicole. She was still a little out of it. Of all the things she'd walked into in this place, finding a naked woman cuffed to a bed was a first. As was being kissed by a woman. It had kind of felt nice, though, those lips so soft and sensual. She pushed that thought aside. She wasn't gay. "I'll go onto the next room, then come back," she hastily said to Watson.

Watson watched the maid leave.

"Mmm, nice," she murmured appreciatively at the fine figure. If she had the time, she might have given the woman a proper thank you, but she couldn't afford to let her prey get too far ahead of her. As it was, her stupidity in allowing for Charlie to delay and distract her from Joey had already set her back.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," she murmured at herself. It had been very unprofessional and so unlike her to have let someone get the drop on her. First things first though, and that was to report this in. Since this place wasn't crawling with cops by now, then it seemed unlikely that Charlie had called it in, so there was a very good chance her cover was still in place. Only one way to find out if that really was the case.

* * *

"This is stupid and reckless," Charlie said once Joey had filled her in about Watson. "If she gets free, she'll likely just come after us," she said. "I need to call Sgt Parish about this."

"No you don't."

"He needs to know about Georgie Watson being dirty."

"What makes you think he didn't already know that when he assigned her?"

The implication was shocking to Charlie.

"No way," she said. "Nick Parish is one of the most honourable coppers I've ever had the privilege to work with." She shook her head and immediately regretted it with her headache pounding even more. "There is just no way he's involved," she mumbled. "He's not dirty."

"Just like you never considered Georgie could be dirty until she pulled that gun on you, right?"

"That's different," said Charlie. "I've known Nick for years, her, I've barely known a few days."

"Then explain this to me Charlie," said Joey. "How did one of Braxton's dirty cops get assigned to this detail?" she asked her. "Or do you think it was just purely coincidental that your usual partner just happened to become conveniently unavailable and then yet another coincidence that his replacement was a corrupt cop, who also by coincidence, happened to work for the very people you're meant to be protecting me from?" she said, before sarcastically adding. "Man, that's a lot of coincidences, either that, or we just have shit luck to have ended up sharing a room with one of Braxton's goons."

"I'd trust Nick Parish with my life," Charlie told her.

"Are you really willing to test that out?"

Yesterday, Charlie wouldn't have hesitated in saying yes, but as much as she hated to admit it, her confidence in her fellow officers had taken a massive hit. She'd always prided herself on her ability to read people and situations, yet she'd failed utterly here, which given the recent corruption rumours, was even more unforgivable. She should never have been so quick to trust Watson, but trusting in your partner was like second nature to her and she'd also trusted in Nick and his judgement in assigning her new partner. She'd trusted Nick, just as she always had. She sighed. Charlie didn't even want to consider the worst about Nick, but Joey did have a point about Jack's sudden unavailability due to personal reasons. Sure, she'd noticed he hadn't been himself lately and was clearly distracted by his personal problems at times, yet he'd remained on the job, until now, when the timing of his removal allowed for Watson to step in.

"You're getting paranoid," she told herself. She hadn't really objected to Jack's removal as Nick had made a great point about his behaviour, so perhaps she was just over analysing everything and looking for the worst in light of Watson's actions. But could she really afford to ignore the possibility that Watson isn't the only one she could no longer trust? God she hated this situation. Charlie sighed and turned to Joey. "If we're not calling in the cops, then where are we going?"

"No idea," Joey flippantly replied.

"Oh that's just great," muttered Charlie. The smirk on the other woman's face just infuriated Charlie further.

"Think of it this way," said Joey. "If I don't know where we're going, then neither does Watson and anyone else who may come after us."

Charlie refused to concede that she had a point and went to rub her throbbing head with her hand, but found that her hand barely made it off her lap. God, that drug really had knocked the shit out her, so much so, she hadn't noticed her hand was cuffed to the door.

"Why am I cuffed?" Again. The novelty really had worn off on her after last night.

"I'm still not sure whether I can trust you or not."

"Georgie tried to kill me last night or did that escape your notice?"

"Well, she sure took her sweet time about getting around to it, what with all that talking you and she were doing."

"Just be grateful she did take her time to talk or she'd have killed me, then you, before you even had a chance to get out of the bath."

"I wouldn't have been that easy," Joey said and Charlie flushed red at the reminder.

Charlie liked to believe last night was all the drugs fault and that she wouldn't have succumbed to Watson's advances without help, yet it wouldn't be completely true. She had been attracted by the flirtiness and body of her former partner and if not for their current job, she'd likely have made Watson another of her conquests. Now knowing what sort of person that bitch was, it made her feel nauseous that she'd had her lips all over her.

"This is ridiculous," Charlie muttered as she tugged on her cuffs. "I'm not a threat to you."

"Don't take it personally Charlie, but I'm just all out of trust where cops are concerned."

"How can I not take it personally when you have me cuffed to the fucking car door?" said Charlie. "Oh and let's not forget that you pulled a fucking gun on me last night."

"Oh, are we back on that again?"

"Why did you pull that gun on me?"

"I'd have thought that was obvious," she said. "It was to stop you from getting us killed by calling in the wrong people." Joey shrugged. "After what happened, you can hardly blame me for wanting to play it safe and that includes not trusting anyone, starting with you."

"If you don't even trust me, why keep me around?"

"Insurance," she simply stated.

"Insurance for what?" queried Charlie and she took a long hard look at her car companion. She got Joey's point about not trusting and could see why she chose to run, instead of calling it in, yet there was something else about her, something not quite right. Then she realised. It was her confidence. The way she'd taken down Watson, to the way she had held the gun steady in her hand, to thinking nothing about stealing a car and justifying it and was now chatting to her as if they were going for a leisurely drive. There was definitely more to this woman than met the eye.

"Who are you?" Charlie asked. "I mean, who are you really?"

Joey just smiled in reply.

* * *

Watson touched her hand to her head as she walked over to the room phone. There was a lump there and dried blood. "Shit," she muttered. No wonder she had a headache when she woke. She ignored it as she picked up the phone. She paused a moment, closed her eyes and drew on her inner actress, before dialling.

"Parish," was the gruff response.

"Sgt Parish, this is Const. Georgina Watson, they're gone," she informed him in a frantic voice.

"What do you mean they're gone?" he demanded.

"It was Charlie," she shakily said. "She overpowered me and locked me up and now they're gone."

"Are you trying to tell me that Charlie ran off with my witness?"

"Yes sir," she replied in a hesitant voice while she was secretly rejoicing on the inside. His responses had reassured her that Charlie hadn't called him and so her cover was safe, at least for the time being. "I think she plans on taking her to the Braxtons."

"Shit," he said. "Did she leave anything behind, a clue, anything?"

"No sir, she took all their gear, everything," she replied. "I guess she didn't want to risk leaving anything behind that might lead back to where she was taking Joey."

"Jesus," he muttered. "Watson, report into the Station immediately."

"But sir, I think I can catch up to them if I leave now," she said.

"Don't be a fool."

"Sir, I need a chance to fix this and I am the closest to them at this moment," Watson tried to reason with him. "And if I don't go now, we might lose them for good."

"Fine, but if you see them, call it in," he said. "Under no circumstances are you to take on Charlie Buckton on your own."

"I wouldn't dream of it sir," she assured him with a knowing smirk to herself.

"I doubt they'd be dumb enough to have Joey taken to a known Braxton location, but I'll assign officers to keep watch on all the ones we know about, just in case," he informed her. "Watson, I want you to keep me up to date from your end and Watson," he said. "Don't talk to anyone about this. I don't want it out there that we had a witness and we lost her."

"My lips are sealed."

Smirking at her success, she put the phone down. That would have them looking in the wrong direction for a bit and the longer she could avoid facing too many questions, the better. Hopefully it would be long enough for her to track them down. Watson gathered up her stuff, then glanced down at the carpet near the side of the bed furthest from the front door. "Damn," she murmured. She didn't think the maid had noticed the lamp on the floor or the spot of blood on it or on the carpet and the pillow, but best to play it safe and do a quick clean up before she left. The maid may have bought her earlier explanation for being cuffed to the bed, but she didn't want to risk raising her suspicions or concerns by having her find the blood. She certainly didn't want anyone snooping around this room and trying to work out what really happened last night or for word to get back to Parish that she'd been injured. He'd likely remove her from the case and she couldn't afford that. She needed the freedom to complete her job and if she got to Charlie and Joey first and silenced them forever, then she may yet keep her cover and usefulness to Braxton.

"Ok, this shouldn't take long and then the hunt can begin," she chuckled and the thrill of the chase excited her almost as much as sex with a beautiful woman did.


	6. Chapter 6

Watson reached the next intersection and paused. She was a little further behind her prey after she'd stopped along the way to change into her uniform, but she figured it was important. People might get suspicious if she started asking too many questions along the way, whereas a cop who was asking for the whereabouts of some missing women was more likely to get cooperation. The uniform really did have it's uses in her line of work, so she might as well make the most of it, at least for as long as she could get away with it. Her cover could be blown at any minute, so she needed to get to them as quickly as she could.

Which way did they go though? She had no way to know how far behind she was, which made her task more difficult, but certainly not impossible. She was confident she knew her prey well enough to know the choices they'd already made. She smiled and turned right.

* * *

Nick looked to the person seated across from him at the pub they'd agreed to meet in at such short notice. It was dangerous to meet like this, but Nick didn't see any other choice.

"You know what to do," he said and he received a nod in return. "Do it quietly and quickly," he told the person. "Robertson will be wanting to speak to his witness again at some stage and I'll only be able to hold him off for so long before he realises something has happened."

"I'll get right on to it."

"Check the Motel first," Nick suggested. "See if there are any witnesses to the direction they went in," he said.

"Trust me, I'll get to them before anyone else does."

"See that you do," he said. "Those two women could bring a lot of people down on both sides of the law, so we can't afford any more cock ups on this," Nick said. "The Braxtons want them dead at any cost."

"What of Watson?"

"Charlie is your priority," he said. "But if Watson gets in your way, take her out," Nick ordered. "She's a wild card in this and given how we know Braxton doesn't abide failures, she's likely to be even more determined to right her mistakes and prove her usefulness to him and that could make her unpredictable and dangerous," he said. "We just can't afford any loose cannons in this."

"I could definitely use her in the chase," he said. "She knows more than others and that could be the key for me in getting to them first."

Nick sat back and considered that. "I don't want her fucking up your own task, but I'll leave you to decide what to do with her should you meet up with her," he said. "Just don't underestimate her or anyone else involved," Nick said. "We're playing a dangerous game here that could see us all ruined."

The man nodded, then stood.

"And Angelo?" Nick said.

"Yeah?"

"No one is to know what you're up to, but if anyone asks, remember the cover story."

"Will do." Angelo Rosetta pulled his ratted jacket on and strode from the pub with a smile. This was the part of his job that he loved the most.

* * *

"How do you know this car doesn't have some kind of tracker on it?" Charlie asked of their latest, newly acquired car.

"Same as the last one," said Joey. "It's older than you and comes with a good old fashion engine and dashboard."

"I almost think you enjoy stealing cars," Charlie muttered. She'd been shocked at the ease in which Joey had first broken in, then started the car. Like an expert.

"Call it a misspent youth," replied Joey and Charlie was left with an even greater sense of dread that she was seated next to a woman she knew nothing about.

She'd argue more, except she still felt terrible. She wondered how long before the effects of the drugs wore completely off. God damn that bitch. If she ever got her hands on Watson, she'd give her a headache she'd never get over. Not that she knew where that bitch was. She'd seemed pretty determined to kill them, so would she just give up or come after them? There was nothing on the radio to indicate that the cops were involved, so Charlie had no idea who knew about the Motel incident and who didn't. Had Watson somehow managed to talk her way out of it or did she have other help on the inside? Fuck, she hated not knowing almost as much as she hated that bitch Watson. From now on, she was calling her Watson, since Georgie now seemed too familiar for someone she obviously never knew. Much like the woman next to her. Nick had said a few things about her driver, but what would they find with a deeper probe? And how would she know if they did find something out of place since she couldn't contact them? Part of her still wanted to trust Nick, but her confidence had been shaken to the core and her new paranoia wasn't helping. Joey's words of mistrust had taken root and she now had no idea who she herself, could trust. Most of all, Charlie hated not being in control. It was an unfamiliar feeling and she was hoping it was only fleeting. She needed to regain control, she just wasn't sure it was going to be that easy, since there was no way Joey was going to trust her any time soon and as long as she was cuffed, her options were limited.

Charlie sighed. She was just going to have to play along until the right moment arose. She had a wry chuckle in her mind. This must be how her protectees felt. Helpless.

* * *

"Brodie, would you shake it and get a move on," Heath hissed. "We're already losing time."

"Nearly done," Brodie called from behind the tree he was pissing on.

"For fuck's sake," Heath muttered. "Why do we even bother with this useless prick?"

"He's ok," said Pee Wee. "Heath, why don't you leave this to us," he said. "After Ryan bit the bullet, the cops are more likely to be keeping an eye on you, rather than on us, which makes you somewhat of a liability on the road."

Heath nodded in agreement. "Keep me updated every day," he said. "And fucking find Watson while you're at it," he said. "I want her explanation for what the fuck happened in that Motel room and why she delayed in calling us."

"I'll be happy to ask her for you."

Heath glared at him. He knew that look on his friend's face and part of him was still protective of Watson. She'd been a good kid, always willing to help and he wasn't ready to see her dismissed just yet. "Keep your hands off her," he told him. "She still has her value to us."

"And when she no longer has value?" Pee Wee smirked. That bitch had always looked down on him, just because she thought wearing the uniform meant her shit didn't stink and so he was just itching for the chance to knock her down a peg or two. Or better yet, permanently.

"Just don't jump the gun or Brax will have to remind you what disobedience gets you."

"I promise, I won't touch a hair on her pretty little head unless Brax says I can."

"See that you don't," he said. "Oh and Pee Wee, remember you're not going to be the only ones after them, so keep an eye out," Heath warned him.

"Are you talking 'bout the cops?"

"We've got everyone we can spare out looking for them, but we haven't heard from our man yet, so we don't know if the cops are on the trail yet or not, but watch yourself anyway," Heath told him. "The last thing we need is for the cops to nab you two."

"Nah, no way will they get us."

"Don't get cocky," Heath said. "Just find those bitches first and check in with the others whenever you can. Brax believes a coordinated effort is our best chance to get to them first," he said as he walked away.

"Oh we'll definitely find them first," Pee Wee chuckled as Brodie finally finished behind the tree. "Come on Brodie, we have some little birdies to catch."

"Which way?"

Good question. Watson hadn't called in her location, so they really were starting behind the eight ball. So which way? Pee Wee closed his eyes and spun, then stopped. He opened his eyes and pointed. "Let's go this way."

Brodie shrugged. If Pee Wee said that was the way to go, then that's the way they'd go.

* * *

"Old Braxy must be shitting his pants if he's sending us all out here," the blonde driver cackled. Tegan Callahan had an attractive face, when it wasn't marred by her constant scowling or smirking.

"All the better for our future, with the huge money he's placed on the bounty," Hayley replied from the passenger seat.

Hayley O'Connor had left behind a lucrative legal practice after she'd gotten into some trouble with the wrong people. To pay off her debt, she'd had to work for the Braxtons as one of their legal eagles. She'd hated it and them, at first, but once she'd paid off her debt and came to realise how much her services were appreciated, she began to revel in it. The hours were good, the pay was excellent, as were the added bonuses. The Braxtons didn't like their employees using their product, but Hayley had become an expert at hiding her addiction from those around her. A little here, a little there, never to any excess so that she was always able to function at peak performance.

But the best bonus of all was meeting Tegan. Her dealer at first, then her lover. Tegan was one of Heath's exes, but as she'd born him his eldest child, it had secured her position within the organisation. Heath was a good provider to both Tegan and their daughter, but Hayley doubted he'd take too kindly to Tegan flouting the rules by supplying drugs to other employees. Tegan didn't seem to care though. She loved the thrill of pushing boundaries, of meeting danger head on. That was her drug and between them, they made a good match.

"Are you ready baby?" Tegan asked.

"Ready baby." This had never been in Hayley's usual job description, but Tegan had begged her to join her on the road during one of her previous jobs and she'd loved it. There was just something so primal in hurting others, it called to her like a drug and after her first time knee capping a guy, the sex between her and Tegan in the aftermath had been so mind blowingly hot, she had wanted to go out and hurt some more people. Tegan had just laughed and fucked her til she was too tired to lift her head, let alone a sledgehammer. Now though, whenever Tegan was sent out, Hayley always went with her.

Tegan grinned and snaked out her hand, grabbing Hayley behind the head. She pulled her into a passionate kiss, ignoring the road and the car swerving as their tongues duelled.

"The road," Hayley murmured against her lips. Tegan kissed her again, before returning her attention to the road, just as a car honked and veered sharply to the right to avoid a head on collision. Tegan laughed and put her car on the right side of the road, her heart racing in excitement.

"You're crazy," Hayley said with love, her eyes darting to the rear vision mirror. The other car had wiped out a stop sign, but the occupants appeared ok. "They're probably going to report us."

"Good thing I have my lawyer with me," joked Tegan. "Relax baby and enjoy the ride."

Hayley undid her seatbelt and snuggled next to Tegan's side. The hilt of Tegan's knife nudged against her hip and she felt turned on by it and the danger it represented. She couldn't wait to see Tegan at work again. To see her kill. Oh god, she was already wet in anticipation. They better get to those bitches first.

* * *

"I'm sorry, I really didn't see which way she went," Nicole told Angelo when he'd arrived at the Motel. She was the fourth person to say the same thing of both Charlie and Joey and of Watson.

"I guess she probably went to meet up with her girlfriend after she checked out," Nicole suggested.

"Yeah, you're probably right," he said. "Well thanks for your time." Nicole smiled when she received another 50 for that day. With the extra 100 the lady had given her before she departed, things really were looking up for her.

Angelo raced back to his car, his phone already dialling as he got in. "The Motel was wiped clean by the maid after Watson gave her money to do an even better bang up job with her cleaning than usual," he said.

"Witnesses?"

"None who could say they saw any of them leave," Angelo replied. "There was a car that was stolen from nearby sometime during the night," he told him. "Charlie and Joey might have taken it, because according to the maid, the car they arrived in was still in the lot when she knocked on the room door this morning. Watson must have taken it when she left, because it's not there now."

"Fuck," Nick said.

"No tag?" Angelo guessed the source of Nick's frustration.

"Protective services never uses tracking systems on their cars as a safety precaution," Nick explained. "It's just too risky for hacking and such."

"Then I'll track them the old fashion way."

"Do you have any idea at all which direction they went?"

"No, but it will be away from the city," he said. "That's what I'd do if I was trying to run from the trouble they have on their tail."

* * *

Stu Henderson admired himself in the mirror. He smiled. It was a smile that had stripped underwear off many a woman.

"You're looking in the wrong direction," Casey bemusedly said of his best mate. "We were meant to be on the road a couple of hours ago."

"No reason for me not to look good on the job."

Casey chuckled. "You're nuts," he said.

"I'm just being me," he said. "Have you said your goodbyes to the missus?"

"Don't call her that," Casey snapped. "We're not married yet."

"You knocked her up and so you're marrying her."

"Why do I have to?" he complained. "Heath has three kids to three different women, yet he has no intention of marrying any of them."

"True, but then you're not Heath," said Stu.

"It's not fair," he muttered. "Brax lets Heath do as he pleases, yet he expects Kyle and me to tow the line and do as he wants."

"That's because Heath won't be taking over the business, you and Kyle will be."

"Heath's older than us."

"He's dumber than dog shit though and would ruin the business within a week."

"It's not that he's dumb, he was just never very academic at school." Casey knew the feeling. He always struggled with school because he had learning difficulties, but unlike Heath, he was always willing and able to learn in other ways, which was why Brax was grooming him to join Kyle in eventually taking over everything. He still had the brains, even if he couldn't read properly.

"Because Heath is dumb as dog shit," Stu insisted. "He's more useful to Brax in other ways, which is why he allows Heath to do as he pleases."

Yeah well, if he keeps going as he is, Brax might cut him loose, Casey thought to himself. He just hoped that when Bianca's baby was born, that he looked like Brax and not his uncle Heath. Brax would never kill Heath, blood was stronger than that, but if he ever found out his wife and brother were having an affair, he wouldn't hesitate to beat the shit out of Heath and possibly even cut him out of their lives. Casey didn't want that. Sure, Heath was an idiot to be fucking his sister-in-law, but that was Heath. He loved women and fucking, Casey just wished his brother would learn what a condom was. Three kids already, possibly another on the way and who knew how many Braxton bastards were out there. Both his eldest brothers had been mansluts in their teens and while Brax had grown out of it and committed to one woman, Heath never would. It wasn't the first time Casey felt different to both Heath and Brax and it seemed as if he and Kyle were the only Braxtons to ever take their time to lose their virginity. Kyle still hadn't at 21 and Casey had been 17. It was just Casey's unfortunate luck that his first time had ended up in pregnancy and so now he was stuck with a woman he could barely stand, yet would marry on his 18th birthday if Brax had his say.

"Ok, I'm ready," Stu said after patting the last hair in place.

"Remind me why we're doing this when Brax already has everyone else out there?"

"Because we have no fucking idea where those women are and the more eyes out there, the better."

"And what are we meant to do if we catch them?"

"What do you reckon," said Stu.

This was the part Casey hated. He loved his brothers dearly and wanted to be like them, but blood made him squirm and he'd thankfully never had to pull the trigger on his brother's order. Until now. He was going to be a dad in a few months and Brax believed now was the time to prove he was a man. And a Braxton. Even Kyle, who was a lot like Casey in temperament, had gone on his initiation the other night. Lucky bastard, thought Casey. Not for having already done it, because Kyle had secretly confided in him that he'd wanted to puke after seeing Ryan's brains splattered everywhere, but for having an excuse for not being out there now. Kyle was the most intelligent of them all and had an astute business sense, which was why Brax had encouraged him to go to business school and so he was too busy studying to go hunting like he had to. Even Brax and Heath weren't going, though he guessed he could understand why they had to stay back. The cops were no doubt watching them closely, just like they always watched. Sometimes Casey wished he'd been born into a different family.

"Move your arse, Case," Stu ordered. Casey sighed and grabbed his bags. He was hoping they wouldn't be the ones to find the women as he followed after Stu.

* * *

Joey eyed the horizon. The sun was starting to set and they'd need to find somewhere to rest for the night. Unfortunately, they weren't as far ahead as Joey would have liked. The city may be behind them now, but not far enough. They could keep going and drive through the night, she thought. Joey knew she could go without sleep, only she also knew that every night that she did, the less alert she'd be, which was why she'd found a secluded spot off the road to sleep for a few hours last night, with Charlie slumbering in her drug induced sleep by her side in the car. The other thing she was kicking herself for, was the hours she'd wasted driving around some of the suburbs while she thought of some place to go. The city had been her life for so long, it was her safety net. She knew where to hide, where to lose a tail, whereas out here, beyond the city limits, was country she was unfamiliar with. And she hated the unknown.

Charlie stirred next to her. She'd been dozing for the past hour and she herself was getting tired again. They'd driven all day, only stopping occasionally to relieve themselves and stock up on food. Over all, it had been a rather uneventful day and for the most part, Charlie seemed to be cooperating, but Joey wasn't sure if that was still the after effects of the drugs or she was waiting for her to drop her guard. That was never going to happen. Joey had no intention of trusting or dropping her guard with anyone or in any situation. She was going to stay at the top of her game, alert to even the smallest…her thoughts were interrupted by a yawn. Damn, it must be the motion of the car that was making her more drousy than usual. They'd definitely need to find somewhere to sleep and she wasn't sure if she wanted that to be in the car again. There had to be a hotel or motel somewhere on this road.

* * *

Two hours later, matters were about to be taken out of her hands when a beep alerted her to a problem.

"Damn, we're running low on petrol," Joey muttered.

"Guess you should have checked the gauge before you stole it," Charlie sleepily said from the passenger seat.

Joey just scowled at her. She had checked it, but it must have been a faulty reading. She tapped the gauge with her finger and it fluttered back and forth with each tap, before settling toward empty. "Damn," she muttered and hoped like hell there was a petrol station nearby. Being stranded out here on the open road was the last place they could afford to be.


	7. Chapter 7

"Well fuck me," Watson muttered as she left the latest building. She'd stopped at every servo and convenience store she passed, figuring her prey had to fill up eventually and also eat, but none had recognised the women she was after, which likely meant she was on the wrong trail.

"Fuck," she muttered again. So much for her confidence in knowing her prey. Did this mean they were going the opposite to what she'd expected? Or were they just stealing cars instead of filling up. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," she cursed with every step back to her car. Trying to think like that could lose her a lot of time and get her nowhere, as would having to backtrack the way she'd just come, especially if she still had no idea which way to go from there. She needed something. Then she thought of it. Smiling, she reached for her phone. Perfect timing, her friend would have just started her night shift.

"Steph, it's Georgie, I need a favour," Watson said when a voice answered.

"Sure, what is it?"

"I need you to check on stolen car reports for the last day for me."

"What for?"

"I'm looking for someone."

"Official or off the books?"

"Off."

"In that case Georgie Girl, you'll owe me after this."

"I promise to take you to the swankiest restaurant in town and make love to you for two solid days."

"I'll settle for you picking up the tab for me and my new girl."

"New girl, huh?"

"Yeah, I finally found a woman who didn't just have sex with me for favours."

"Hey, the sex was always hot between us and that wasn't the only favours we exchanged," Watson said. "I'm betting your new girl is very appreciative of two of those favours I helped you get."

"True, but then you also enjoyed the benefits of getting me bigger tits," said Steph and they both shared a chuckled. They'd been lovers on and off for long enough to know where they stood with each other. "So, you getting the tab or not?"

"Done."

"Ok then, where am I looking?"

Watson told her the areas to search in, then hung up. She'd already figured that her prey wouldn't have stuck around in the city. It was just far too dangerous to stay there in this day and age. Some had made that mistake in the past, believing they could hide amongst all those people amidst all of the buildings, yet they always forgot the cameras and other ways to track them. They were everywhere, from ATM, to traffic, to their phone accounts and such and for those who could gain access to that information, it always made their job so much easier. Going into hiding really was an artform these days, one few mastered successfully, because it was so easy to overlook something small and that would later prove to be that one, fatal mistake. That was what Watson was now relying on. Her prey making a mistake.

* * *

"Would you stop banging on the door?" Charlie said. "Clearly there is no one here to answer it."

"It says right on that sign, open 24/7 and it's only 9pm," Joey replied. When she'd managed to get the car to the bowser on nothing but fumes, she'd thought they were finally having some luck, that was, until it became obvious this 24/7 didn't actually stay open 24/7. Shit, she thought. "Maybe they had to go to the bathroom," she said lamely.

"And they turned the lights down to do that?" Charlie smirkingly said. "Anyway, it's so obvious that they shut this place due to a family emergency."

"How the fuck could you possibly know that?"

With a huge smile, Charlie pointed to another sign in the window which Joey had failed to see. "Sorry for the inconvenience, we have closed due to a family emergency," Charlie helpfully read out to her.

"Shit," muttered Joey.

"Why don't we just move on?"

"We need petrol."

"Except we can't get the petrol out of the bowsers until someone hits that button behind the counter," Charlie pointed out. "And there's no one here to do that."

Joey cupped her hands around her eyes as she peered in the window. The lights from the refrigerators lining the back of the store offered enough light to make out the counter and general layout of the place. "Think I can probably get to that."

"We are not stealing petrol," Charlie said.

"We'll leave money on the counter."

"We're not stealing petrol," she repeated, though less forcibly as arguing with this woman was proving to be a waste of time.

"Just my luck to be stuck with the one honest cop in the Force," Joey muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." She turned to her companion. "Look Charlie, we're out of petrol and we can't stay here for much longer, because the bad guys will catch up with us, so we either break in here and hit that button so we can get the petrol or we can go and find another nice little old car to steal."

Charlie was really disliking this woman right now. "Fine, but leave the money on the counter."

"I'll get the button, you leave the money."

Shaking her head, Charlie followed behind her. "I knew you'd stiff me with the bill," she murmured.

Joey took her jumper off, wrapped it around her hand and punched the window. "Fuck," she winced when it didn't give.

"I could have told you that wouldn't work," Charlie smugly told her. "It's reinforced glass to discourage people like you from doing just that."

"You could have warned me."

"You didn't ask."

Joey glared at her. "Just think of a way in there."

"There's probably an adjoining door between the garage and the store," Charlie said. "And that door on the garage looks easier to pick than trying to break in through the window here." She turned her nose up at Joey. "I'm sure you know how to pick a lock."

"Of course, every girl scout learns breaking and entering in between selling cookies," she sarcastically replied.

"God you're annoying."

"And you complain too much."

"Oh shut up."

"Ooh, touchy."

"Are we going to do this or just stand around bitching all night?"

"You almost sound eager to do this now."

"I just want to get out of here."

"Then quit bitching and let's do this."

* * *

"We're going the wrong way," Brodie sang out for the 100th time.

"Shut the fuck up," Pee Wee snapped.

"I'm telling ya, this is the wrong way."

"How the fuck would you know?"

"Well, we haven't seen them yet, have we?"

"They have a head start, it's going to take time to catch up."

"'specially if we're going the wrong way."

"We don't know if this is the wrong way," Pee Wee hissed at him.

"Just like we don't know it's the right way."

"We're going this way, so just shut the fuck up."

"Well don't blame me if this turns out to be the wrong way."

It would be so easy to get his gun out and just blow this annoying shits brains all over the car, but not only was Brodie a mate, Pee Wee had a feeling he might be right. They were chasing exhaust fumes thanks to Watson's failures. If that dumb bitch had done her job, this would be all over and he could be back home getting his cock sucked off by his old lady, instead of being stuck in this car with Brodie. He was sick of driving around the city. Were the women even still here? Their people had been sent in all directions after those women, yet he had no idea if any of them were on the right track and pretty soon, the cops may actually get a clue and become an unwelcome complication. Heath had called earlier to let them know their guy had said the cops still had no idea their witness was in the wind. No surprise there, those morons couldn't find their own dicks at a urinal, Pee Wee thought, but it would still be best for all if they found those women before the cops even started looking.

He pulled his phone out and dialled. His anger grew with each unanswered ring tone.

"Fuck that cunt," he muttered. Watson had to be deliberating ignoring his calls. If she kept this up, he might just forget Heath's prior warning and take out his frustration on her.

"We should try the coast," Brodie reasoned. "It's always nice along there this time of year."

Pee Wee sighed. Until they got some more info to go on, it was better than nothing. Up or down the coast. He tossed the coin. Heads up, tails down. Down it was.

* * *

Watson looked at her map. She'd marked off the motel and the road she'd taken, then she'd added the locations of the stolen cars Steph had sent through to her. They were more sporadic outside the city limits, but two in particular stood out to her, as they followed along a road that lead straight from the Sunset Motel.

"Fuck," she muttered, when she realised she should have taken that left earlier in the day, instead of the right, because now she was hours from the road they were likely on and she'd fall even further behind if she had to backtrack to that road. Watson trailed her finger along the map. Between here and where the last stolen car was taken from, she noticed some smaller roads that wound around a bit, yet eventually connected to that same road along the coast. Watson tapped on the map in thought. By the time she reached that road, her prey would be long gone, but she would have saved herself hours in not having to backtrack further than half an hour and she could probably shave even more time off if she drove non-stop. She'd had plenty of night shifts, including doubles, so she was confident she could navigate and stay alert without sleep as she drove through the night. She just hoped there were places open along the way that made strong coffee.

"You better be on that road," she said. It was a flimsy guess at best and there really was no guarantee they'd keep to that road, but until she had something more concrete, it was all she had to go on. Watson glanced at her phone as it blared to life once more. She knew who it was by the ringtone she'd programmed into it.

"Sorry boys, I didn't hear my phone so please leave a message," she chuckled as she imagined the look on Pee Wee's face when she failed to pick up.

* * *

"Nice work," Charlie commented after they had gained entry into the garage, but her tone told Joey it wasn't a compliment.

"I'm very good at my job," she replied, regardless of Charlie's attitude. She was relieved to see that Charlie had been right about the adjoining door. She turned the handle and smiled. "Not even locked," she tutted. Joey opened the door and peered into the store. "Careful of the cameras," she told her, pointing them out to Charlie. "Wouldn't want your pretty little mug to show up on security footage and letting everyone know where we were."

Charlie paused for a moment to weigh up her options. She could let herself be seen on camera and risk the wrong cops finding them or she could keep to the shadows like a common thief. Considering she wasn't sure how many crooked cops were after them or whom she could even trust, she chose to do the latter.

"And don't touch anything with your bare hands," Joey warned her. "We don't want our fingerprints placing us here."

"You really have done this before, haven't you?"

"Actually, this is a new one for me because I've never needed to break into a service station to steal petrol before." Joey grinned at her in the dim light, "It's always been far easier to just steal another car."

"I can't believe I'm doing this," muttered Charlie.  
Now inside the store, the fridge lights offered an eerie illumination to the otherwise darkened area and every footstep sounded like a herd of elephants to Charlie. She was nervous and uncomfortable with this whole thing, even though this did appear their only option.

Joey reached behind the counter, hit the button and started to make her way back the way they'd just come. "Wait til I signal you the tank is full, then you can be a good little girl scout and leave the right money for them," she said. "Oh and grab some food on your way out."

Charlie poked her tongue out at her companions retreating back. God she really was coming to dislike that woman and her cocky, sarcastic manner.

* * *

"Brodie and Pee Wee are now heading down the coast," Hayley informed her girlfriend as she hung up on Pee Wee. "You reckon we should do the same?"

"Nah, if they're covering that, we'll keep in this direction," Tegan replied. As yet another sign post flashed by the window, she slammed her palm on the steering wheel. "This is fucking ridiculous," she muttered. "We need some idea where the fuck they are or we'll just be driving and not getting anywhere near them."

"Heath and Brax are calling in all their favours with their cop buddies and elsewhere," said Hayley. "Someone will have to have eyes on them soon," she said. She smiled and rubbed Tegan's knee. "And when they do, we'll be first to get to those rats and it will be glorious when you cut them open with your knife."

"Glorious," agreed Tegan. She grinned when her lover's hand moved. Tegan leant back in her seat to allow Hayley better access. Her eyes on the road, she groaned softly as Hayley's hand slid inside her knickers. She knew she was already wet and so Hayley slid along her sex with ease.

"Oh baby, I love you," she groaned as Hayley played with her clit. With great expertise, Tegan kept the car on the right side of the road while Hayley's fingers dipped and flicked her to orgasm. "Oh yes, yes," she cried. Yes, it was going to be glorious to slice those women up.

* * *

Angelo thanked the man and headed back to his car. He'd hit pay dirt. Watson had been identified and she was only a few hours ahead of him. He felt it was only a matter of time before he caught up with her, and then them. Yawning as he got into his car, he reached into the glove box for a small container and tapped a couple of pills into his hand. He swallowed them down with some strong coffee. That should help him drive through the night.

* * *

Casey rolled his eyes at his mate when Stu strutted into the hotel room where they'd pulled up for the night. At every stop, Stu had been the one to ask after his missing sister and her girlfriend, the story he'd concocted to explain his interest in finding those two women. And always, the women he'd ask would be smiling and more than happy to answer his questions. It didn't matter what age they were, Stu would flirt and charm them and they always fell for it. Unfortunately, their answers were always the same. No one had seen either woman. Casey smiled wryly. Unfortunate it maybe, but part of him was glad each time Stu's questions were answered in the negative. He knew they had a job to do, yet at the same time, this was one job he'd happily fail at. It might not be very Braxton of him to think like that, since these two women could destroy his family and everything they'd worked to build, but those women had done nothing wrong, except get between Brax and what he wanted. His brother wanted it all and he'd abide no one standing in his way. Casey had always admired his brother's desire to succeed, yet lately, he'd begun to wish his brother had desired to succeed in an honest business.

"Let me guess, another no?" Casey said when Stu headed to his bag and pulled out a jacket.

"Yep, another no, but another phone number," he said with a grin.

"Bet you could write a phonebook by the time we're done on this trip."

"I may even call some of them," Stu said. "Some of those women are so lonely, they could cry and I'm sure they'd be more than happy to cry more for me instead."

"You're a slut, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, but who cares," he said. "None of them ever complain and I'm certainly not."

"You have more in common with Heath, than I do."

"Except I have a brain," said Stu. "Look, I reckon we're on the wrong track following this road, so we should go back and take that next right when we start at first light tomorrow."

"What's at the next right?"

"Fucked if I know, I've never been out of the city in my life."

"Neither have I," said Casey. It was an adventure, it just wasn't one he wanted to enjoy. "Where are you going now?"

"To hear that nice cleaning woman crying out for more," he said and closed the door behind him.

* * *

Charlie stared at the figure sleeping on the next bed. She had found a map at the servo that had listed the location of hotels/motels/B&B/caravan parks in the surrounding areas and after getting everything they needed from the servo, Joey had chosen to drive to a small Bed and Breakfast that was off the main road they'd been travelling on by a good twenty minutes. At first Charlie had thought the landlady was going to deny them a room because of the late hour of their arrival, until Joey asked for twin beds and not a double. Guess that eased the old homophobe's mind, along with the story Joey had spun about how Charlie was her future sister-in-law and they were meant to be joining friends at a hen's night tomorrow, yet had gotten lost in the unfamiliar area and so needed somewhere to stay the night.

She sighed. So here she was, in some small B&B in the middle of nowhere, cuffed once more to a bed. She hadn't really objected to Joey's insistence that she had to have at least one hand cuffed to the bed, since the knowledge that Joey still had the gun gave her the upper hand. The other reason was, that she really didn't want to raise Joey's mistrust any further than it already was and so she was trying to be as cooperative as possible, without seeming too cooperative.

Thankfully for Charlie, her headache was now long gone as the last side effects of the drugs had finally left her system, which allowed her to think things through more clearly. Not that it really helped much. She was still unsure of what her next move should be. Joey's paranoia of mistrust had transferred to her and while she didn't exactly trust her new car buddy, she felt less trusting of those they'd left in their dust. Could Nick be trusted, she just didn't know anymore and the risk to them should they make even one mistake, could be incredibly costly.

Charlie sighed again at the situation she found herself in. The only thing she knew with any certainty, was that she had no intention of being yet another statistic in the Braxtons reign of intimidation and death, so until she figured things out, perhaps she and Joey should stick together and keep on the move, given their current lack of any other real alternative. That didn't mean she would have to start trusting Joey, because she didn't want that. Tonight's little capper, along with the ease in which Joey had lied to the landlady, had proven once more how little she knew of this woman, so she sure as hell couldn't trust her, but given their current plight, then right now, Joey was the lesser of evils, in that they both had the same goal in mind - to stay alive. It was a decision Charlie hoped she didn't live to regret.


	8. Chapter 8

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck," Joey hissed as she returned from her walk. She'd woken and decided she needed fresh air and time to think and now that she'd had both of those things, she realised how dumb it was to have left that money behind. Sure, breaking in and stealing petrol wasn't something that was going to be ignored any way, but leaving behind that money as payment would be more likely to point toward it being them, since anyone looking for them would probably know that Miss Snr Const. Prim and Proper would object to flat out stealing. It was such a dumb fucking move and they'd likely just painted a big, bright red arrow in their direction, should someone get word of what happened at the servo.

Joey shook her head in frustration. What the hell was going on with her? This recklessness wasn't like her, nor was this waffling. A clear plan was needed. But what? Her options were limited and then there was her travelling companion to consider. She'd move much quicker on her own and it would certainly be less work on her nerves in not to having to listen to the constant complaints or watch her back around that cop. While Charlie had appeared to have accepted her position in this, Joey didn't trust her. Not only was she a cop, Charlie didn't come across as someone who would be happy to stay a virtual prisoner forever and was no doubt going over different plans for escape in her head. That made her dangerous and unpredictable, and that was the last thing Joey needed. She had no idea how many were after them, but she did know with absolute certainty, that she wasn't going to be allowed to just walk away from this mess, so opening herself to further danger by keeping Charlie around, probably wasn't the smartest of moves.

"Ditch her," she told herself. It really would be easier, yet the part of her that had insisted on dragging her passenger along for the ride this far, said differently. "She's insurance and until I figure a way out of this mess, she sticks with me."

Joey sighed. She was already regretting her choices from that fateful night and had she chosen differently, her life would definitely be a lot easier right now. What's done was done though, so there was no point dealing with what ifs, when the only thing she should be dealing with, was what the fuck did they do now? Go by the back roads? Joey had purposely chosen main roads out of the city, as taking the back road route seemed the most obvious choice to their pursuers, but after the servo last night, it might be an idea to mix it up a bit.

"Shit," she muttered. Joey hated back roads, or more to the point, she hated back roads when she had no fucking idea where they led. She knew the city, the streets where she could disappear into, but this out here, was a whole new frontier for her, which made it all the more dangerous and while she'd studied the map they'd taken from the servo last night and noted some of the smaller roads, that didn't mean all the roads were even on the map in the first place. What if she took a wrong turn? The last thing they needed was to get lost out here, especially as she had no clue as to where they were going. Then it popped into her head. A place that had been a small part of her childhood. She'd only been there once, but the memories had remained of a beautiful little seaside town. Joey racked her brain. Had she ever mentioned it to anyone? She didn't think so. She had no idea what the place was like these days, but at the very least, they could stay there for a few days and give themselves some time to work out their next move. Decision made, Joey went back inside the B&B to inform her companion.

* * *

"Where is this place that you're taking us to?" Charlie asked as the trees whipped by the passenger side window in a haze. They weren't going that fast, but the wind was strong today and she could feel it tugging on the car.

"Down the coast," replied Joey.

"How far down?"

"It's a couple of hours from the city," she said.

"Oh great, then we've been going in completely the wrong direction for the past day and a bit," Charlie said.

"Think of it as taking the more scenic and circular route," Joey said.

"Scenic as in taking days, instead of hours to get there?" Charlie said. "'cos if it's all the same, I'd rather not be stuck in a car for days on end."

"It won't hurt to take a couple of days to get there," Joey said, and by doing so, they'd hopefully lose any tails along the way. "Don't worry, Charlie, I know this town well," she lied to her. "We'll be safe there." She hoped.

"For how long?"

"Until we figure out how to get out of this situation."

"We could call the cops."

"I can't believe you just suggested that when one of your buddies just tried to kill us the other night."

"Watson was just one cop," Charlie said. "And there is more than one police department," she said. "What about the Federal Police?"

"Do you know anyone there?"

"Well, no."

"Then how do you know who to trust?"

"We're going to have to trust someone eventually," Charlie reasoned.

"Fine," Joey said and she handed Charlie a mobile she'd swiped from the back pocket of an unsuspecting woman in the bathroom at one of their pit stops yesterday. She'd made sure any tracking apps had been removed, along with the sim card.

"Where did that come from?"

"My pocket," she replied, since that's exactly where she'd just taken it from.

"You stole it!" Charlie said incredulously.

"You know, you really are going to have to get over your constant outrage at my propensity for the five fingered discount."

"I'm a cop and you're a thief, it's not something I can just get over."

"You're not a cop right now," Joey told her. "You're a target, just like me and if we're going to get through this alive, you're going to have to do some things that insult your precious sensibilities, so just get the fuck over it and deal with it," she snapped. "Go on, take the phone."

Charlie found her uncuffed hand was immobile. There was a phone within reach, a phone to call for help on, yet her hand made no move toward it.

"There's no sim card, but emergency calls can still be made, so go ahead, call in the cavalry," Joey told her. "Ask to speak to your Sergeant buddy, you know, the one who assigned that traitorous cow to your detail at the last minute," she taunted her. "Or perhaps you could just ask the nice 000 operator to connect you to the first honest cop on the list."

Charlie sighed and turned to stare out the window.

"You can't trust anyone Charlie," Joey said.

"Not even you," Charlie muttered and tuned the other woman out. It was a testament to her newly acquired level of mistrust, that she hadn't been able to take that phone and call a man she'd trusted and admired for so long. "Damn you, Nick," she whispered. "Damn you all."

* * *

After two hours on the road, Joey glanced once more into the rear vision mirror. She'd been keeping an even closer eye on it more recently when she'd noticed a troubling development. At first Joey had been hoping she was just being paranoid, but with each subsequent turn they took, her paranoia had turned toward certainty.

"Shit," Joey murmured, more than convinced now that the black sedan which had been tailing them for the past twenty minutes, was definitely following them when they took yet another turn with them.

"Are we being followed?" asked Charlie when she caught Joey glancing in the mirror again.

"Two cars back," Joey said.

Charlie looked over her shoulder. "The black sedan?"

"Yeah, could be an unmarked cop car."

"Nah, too expensive for one of ours," Charlie said.

"Then it's one of Braxtons," Joey decided.

"Looks like a driver and a passenger."

"Do you recognise them?"

Charlie shook her head. "Not from this distance and with the way the sun is glaring on their windscreen," she said. "I'm not even sure if they're men or women or one of each."

"I'm going to try and lose them."

"Don't make it obvious."

"I'm not a rookie at this you know," she replied, "I have done this before."

It was yet another reminder for Charlie, that Joey wasn't quite the woman she'd made out to be.

"Yes, I'm sure you're very capable of losing a tail," Charlie said, before snidely adding. "No doubt you've had to run from a lot of cops, what with your penchant for five fingered discounting and all," she said, while she wondered why none of this had shown up in even a cursory background check. The woman knew what she was doing, which meant she was experienced, so how had she managed to get away with it for so long? Charlie sat back in the seat. She really wanted to be anywhere but here and it had nothing to do with the danger tailing them.

* * *

"What do you think they're waiting for?" Charlie asked as another ten minutes passed by without any action from the car behind them.

"A more secluded area with less witnesses around, would be my guess," replied Joey.

Charlie stared at her. The woman's knowledge and actions definitely suggested she had history in this area, but just how extensive was that history.

"Or maybe they're not really after us," Charlie said, though she didn't really buy into that.

"You're right, maybe they're just a couple of horny guys trailing a couple of babes just for kicks," Joey sarcastically said. Joey slowed the car down and took another left. The car followed. "There, satisfied now that they're after us?"

Charlie just scowled at her.

* * *

"They're still there," Charlie pointed out five minutes later.

"That's because I haven't tried to lose them yet."

"When do you intend to make your move?" asked Charlie. "When the car is right on top of us?"

Joey glanced at her, a small smile tugging at her lips. In her current mood, Charlie had frown lines around her eyes and an angry tilt to her mouth, but it did nothing to mar her beauty.

"What are you looking at?" snapped Charlie.

"The beautiful woman sitting next to me," Joey spoke the words before she could stop them.

"Don't go getting any ideas," Charlie told her, though she felt an odd thrill rush through her at Joey finding her attractive, which pissed her off even more. She didn't want to feel anything for any woman after that bitch Watson's betrayal.

"You're even more beautiful when you're angry."

"Fuck off," muttered Charlie and Joey chuckled.

"Just enjoy the ride Charlie."

"Just lose the tail, Joey."

They were hitting less traffic the furtherer away from the centre of town they drove. The streets were also becoming narrower.

"I hate the fucking country," muttered Charlie as the car hit a large pothole and she nearly hit her head on the side window.

"The fresh air is wonderful though."

"Fresh air?" scoffed Charlie. "There is cow shit everywhere, it's dusty and there's barely anyone in sight, it's just plain depressing."

"You're really not the adventurous type, are you?"

Charlie just fumed in her seat. "By the way, that car is still behind us," she mumbled petulantly.

"All in good time."

"Well you might not have that time," Charlie pointed out. "He's put his foot down on the accelerator."

"Shit," Joey muttered, as the distance between them and the car behind was shortening with great speed when she peered into the rear vision mirror.

"What are you going to do now?" Charlie snidely asked, while being silently terrified they were about to die.

* * *

There was a collective cheer in various cars as word spread. Their objective had been spotted and cars turned around or veered left or right and sped off, all with the same intent - to converge on that one car.


	9. Chapter 9

_"What are you going to do now?" Charlie snidely asked, while being silently terrified they were about to die._

"Buckle up Sweetheart, you're about to find out," Joey said and slammed her foot down. The car lurched forward.

"Shit," Charlie said. She'd been in a couple of high speed pursuits before, so driving fast wasn't an issue for her, as long as she was the driver. On the other hand, going at high speed while being stuck in the passenger seat, was an entirely different and thoroughly unpleasant experience. She had no control, no idea where the next turn was going to come, because she wasn't the one making the decisions, Joey was. "Oh shit," she whimpered with the realisation that her life was well and truly in the hands of a woman she was growing to mistrust by the hour.

"Don't let them get away Mick," Jarrod Stevens said.

"No way are they getting away," the driver assured him and the black sedan sped up. There really was no way in hell he was going to lose them, not when this was his best chance to move up within the organisation. He grinned at their luck. Word had gone out to everyone, along with the photos of the women, but he and Jarrod hadn't been able to do a single thing about it, since they'd been sent to pick up the latest supply of drugs, yet here they were, about to snare their biggest catch and it was all down to chance. He had no idea what the odds of taking this road back home and just happening to drive right past the very women everyone else was chasing after were, but he was damn sure going to cash in on it. Then afterward, he was going to go to the races. With this luck, he couldn't lose.

* * *

Angelo tapped his thumb on the steering wheel. Watson's trail had gone cold, meaning she must have turned off somewhere. Where though? He was starting to get worried that he was going to be the last man to the party and he'd be too late to do what needed to be done. Angelo yawned. He'd yet to sleep since he'd started and it was catching up to him. He reached for the small container again. He was running low.

"Fuck." He was going to have to find a refill somewhere or he wouldn't be able to function.

* * *

Watson slammed on the brakes and not a moment too soon. "Get off the fucking road you walking racks of lamb," she yelled at the sheep. Watson leant on the car horn. "Fucking move it!" she shouted. Her words and honking was greeted with utter disinterest by the sheep. "Ok, that's it," Watson muttered. She wound down the window and pointed her gun in the air. Two shots and the lamb racks were scattering. "God I hate this place," she muttered. Her car was covered in dust from the crappy roads, her hands were greasy after she'd been forced to change her tyre after it blew out and she was hot and sweaty because the damn a/c had packed it in. So why was she smiling? Because she'd finally chosen the right direction, even before she'd eventually decided to answer Heath's latest phone call. There was still some way to go, but she was a hell of a lot closer to them than she expected to be.

Her stomach rumbled as her path on the road was finally clear. Lamb chops for lunch sounded nice, if only she had time to stop and eat. She'd have to settle for catching her prey instead.

* * *

"Fucking hell, if they don't kill us, you will with your driving," Charlie said when her head nearly smashed into the side window as Joey took a sharp turn onto a gravel road that took them out of the town.

"Would you like to drive?" Joey sarcastically asked.

"I'd do a lot better than you," she snapped.

"Yeah, but could you do this."

"Oh no, don't you dare!" Charlie screamed as the car sped up the incline in the road and was airborne momentarily, before slamming onto the hard road again. If you could call gravel and pot holes a road. "You're fucking crazy," she shouted as the car flew into the air over the next incline. Not once though, did Joey lose control of the car.

* * *

Pee Wee glared at his mate. They were lost and he was even more pissed that they'd been wasting all this time driving around, while Mick had fluked it. He'd been heading back to HQ and had purely by chance, spotted those women on the road.

"Fucking lucky bastard," he muttered.

"What was that?" said Brodie.

"Nothing," he said. "Just find us the right road."

"Why bother," Brodie said. "By the time we get there, it will all be over."

"Mick might still fuck it up," he said. "Now just get us out of here."

"We should go back to the coastal road."

Pee Wee glared at him again. "Do you know how to get back there?" he snidely asked.

Brodie shrugged.

"Fuck, just go that way," Pee Wee said with a wave to the left. Maybe they would strike it lucky as Mick had.

* * *

"Where the hell are you taking us?" said Charlie. There were no sign posts or other cars, except for the sedan behind them, which meant there was no one around to help them.

"I think losing this tail is more important than getting directions right now," Joey replied, since she really had no idea where the hell they were. Taking random roads to lose a tail hadn't exactly been in her plan. "Shit," she murmured. This was why she hated being unfamiliar with the terrain and it just made losing these pricks even harder.

"Any chance of you actually doing something to lose that tail any time soon?" Charlie snidely said. Her fear was making her bitchy, but she didn't care. "Or was that just all bluster earlier when you said you'd done this before?"

"Can you hold off on the sarcasm for five minutes," Joey said, showing the first sign of annoyance at her passenger.

* * *

"Hurry Hails," Tegan said. "We don't want Mick to get the credit."

"He probably already has," Hayley pointed out.

"Not if he stays on form," she said. "He likes to play first, then finish the job, which still gives us some time."

Hayley shivered. She didn't like Mick. She hated the way he looked at women, especially her and she knew the only reason he never cracked onto her, was that he was too shit scared of Tegan to even try.

* * *

Charlie harrumphed, impressed in spite of herself, yet unwilling to admit aloud that she admired the calm way in which Joey had handled that last manoeuvre. It was like a real pro. "Yeah, a real pro," she thought. She would do well to never forget that her companion wasn't what she'd first appeared to be.

"They're still gaining on us," Charlie couldn't stop herself from saying and she smirked at the curse Joey muttered in reply.

* * *

Casey stared at his phone. There was a voice mail from Heath from about twenty minutes ago, yet he'd made no effort to return it or to tell Stu about it. Stu would probably be pissed when he found out, especially when he realised they'd been going the wrong way and were further from the women than ever before. Casey didn't care. The longer this trip went on, the less he wanted to be a part of it. This life wasn't for him and never would be, came the crushing realisation. His brothers could force him to do these things, but it would never be him.

"You ok Case?" asked Stu.

"Yeah, just bored as hell," he replied.

"How can you be bored on an adventure like this?"

"Adventure?" he said. "We're in a car with no idea where we're meant to be going, it's hot, it's dusty…"

"It's fun," said Stu. "Case, just think of the end game here and then you'll start to enjoy the hunt more."

"If you say so," he murmured softly.

* * *

The crunching sound as the sedan rammed into them made Charlie wince and glance nervously over her shoulder, while Joey looked into the rear vision mirror. The sedan was so close now that they could see the two occupants clearly.

"Shit, it's Mick," Joey said softly, yet not softly enough that Charlie hadn't heard it and in spite of the current dangerous situation, Charlie turned her head to stare at the other woman. How did she know who he was? That particular concern was pushed to the back of her mind when the sedan slammed into them again.

"Shit," she muttered. Charlie had done her study on the Braxtons and their known associates, including the one she was now looking at through their back window. No wonder he was keeping up with Joey. Mick Jameson was a former rally car driver. Her admiration for Joey getting them this far grew, until she remembered that Joey had also known this man's name.

"Fuck, what did that sign we just passed say?" Joey urgently asked her.

"I don't know," Charlie began to say, but then it became clear. Her eyes widened and she braced herself. "There's no bridge!" Charlie screamed as their car continued on with its current trajectory. No wonder there was no one else on this road. It went nowhere. Charlie's eyes ping ponged between Joey and what was left of an old bridge that lay in front of them. The middle of the bridge was long gone, there was no way across, yet it was still getting closer.

There was no bridge. Surely Joey saw that? Yet Joey wasn't slowing down and Charlie's stomach dropped with a sickening realisation. "Oh please, no," Charlie said. "Please don't tell me you're going to try to jump the fucking river!"


	10. Chapter 10

"Joey, don't you dare!" Charlie yelled.

At the last second, Joey veered right and slammed the brakes on, causing the car to skid sideways at an alarming rate, before coming to a halt inches from the water's edge. Caught by surprise by Joey's manoeuvrer, Mick's reflexes weren't as quick and his car flew past them, where what was left of the bridge acted like a ramp and launched his car into the air. The car plummeted with a splash into the fast flowing water.

"Fuck me," Charlie murmured, her heart still racing, in spite of their now stationary position.

"You didn't really think I'd try it, did you?" Joey smugly said, more to hide her own shaking. That had been far too close and she hadn't even been sure she could pull it off, until it worked.

"I can't see them," Charlie said. "They must be trapped in their car."

"They hit the water pretty hard," Joey said. "Their airbags might have deployed in their faces and dazed them."

"Shit, they'll drown," Charlie said as the car began to sink.

"Good, then they won't be able to kill us."

"Shouldn't we at least try to help them?"

"Charlie, they just tried to kill us and I don't know about you, but I'm not fucking Aquawoman," she said. "That current is way too strong to swim out to reach them in and besides, they'd be too heavy for either of us to get out of there."

Charlie knew what Joey said made sense, but the cop in her didn't like it. Her job was to protect people, not watch and let them die, even if they were murderous pricks.

"Charlie, if the situation was reversed, they'd be doing a celebratory jig at our demise right now."

"It doesn't make this right."

"Who cares, we're alive and now have two less arseholes to worry about."

"You're rather callous, aren't you?"

"I'm not going to shed a tear over someone who wanted to kill us."

"They might have just wanted to get us to stop."

"Yeah, so they could fucking kill us," Joey said. "Or do you honestly believe any differently."

"No," Charlie admitted. She was just looking for excuses because she hated agreeing with Joey.

"Come on, we need to get out of here."

"We should report this in."

"Charlie, we just sped through the outskirts of the town, which someone probably noticed and has already called the cops," she said. "We can't be here when they turn up."

"So now we're not even trusting the locals?"

"Charlie, think for a moment," said Joey. "Our car has signs of being in an argument with another car and it wouldn't take a genius to work out which car that was with," she said. "Do you really want to then explain to them why we were being rammed and how that car ended up in the drink?" Joey said to her. "Then there's our identity. Unless you were willing to lie about who we are and what really happened here, then they'd be calling this in to your superiors to check out your story as to why they were after us." Joey stared at her. "You need to stop thinking and acting like a cop Charlie and start behaving like someone who is on their own in a fight for survival."

"Right, trust no one," she snidely said. "Not even you."

"Whatever," Joey dismissively said. "Now buckle up. The more time we waste here, the closer others like them could be."

"You think Mick called our location in?"

"No idea, but I'm not waiting around to see if we'll be swarmed by homicidal maniacs intent on making us dead," she said.

"How do you think they found us?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"You're the one with all the relevant experience," Charlie snapped.

"I don't know how they found us," Joey snapped right back. "Could have just been bad luck on our part." She glared at Charlie. "I thought you'd be the expert on the Braxtons, you're the cop after all."

Charlie held her tongue on what she was about to say. This wasn't the time. "You're right, I do know a fair bit about the Braxtons," she said. "And it's likely they have eyes and ears everywhere and we just drove right passed some of them by chance."

"From now on, we need to have our own eyes and ears open," Joey said. "We also need a new car. This one will draw too much attention."

"Oh great, we're back to stealing again," muttered Charlie.

"Not this time," Joey said, though she didn't expand upon it.

Charlie stayed silent. Still in the back of her mind, had been the skill in which Joey had handled the car during that very hectic and dangerous chase, and also the realisation that Joey had known who was chasing them. There was still too much unknown about her travelling companion and what Charlie did know about her, was a cause for concern. Who the hell was this woman?

* * *

"Fuck," Nick muttered as he set the handset down. Robertson was getting antsy about his witness and while Nick had put him off for the moment, he knew he and Angelo most likely only had a day or two left to work with before this all blew up. "Find them, Angelo and fast."

* * *

"Piss off," Charlie muttered as she swatted away yet another fly as they trotted back the way they'd just come. Three towns from the bridge incident, Joey had suddenly pulled the car into an offshoot road and parked it, ordered her to grab their gear and started walking back toward the last town they'd just driven through.

"What about the car?" Charlie asked as her hands waved away more flies.

"Either the cops or some enterprising thief will eventually find it," Joey said. "I'm hoping for a thief and they take it for a joyride far from us."

That was all Joey said and Charlie couldn't be bothered asking her anything more. She was hot and annoyed, but at least she wasn't cuffed. Charlie let her eyes slip sideways to where Joey was walking next to her. She could probably overpower Joey, except her doubts were holding her back. What if she underestimated Joey and ended up on her own arse, with a gun in her face? Nope, until she could properly gauge both Joey and the situation, she'd continue to play along.

"Fuck," she cussed when she stumbled over a pothole.

"Watch your step," said Joey.

"I'm too busy shooing flies," she grumbled.

"God, it's like babysitting a sooky five year old," Joey muttered under her breath.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see when we get there," Joey said. "I saw that," she added when she caught Charlie poking her tongue out at her from the corner of her eye, then she laughed when Charlie started coughing and spitting. "Serves yourself right."

"Oh, gross," Charlie said and continued to spit in the hopes of removing every last remnant of the fly that had stowed away on her tongue.

* * *

"Sorry, I must have missed the call," Casey said as Stu continued to fume after Heath had called him directly to demand what was going on.

"You realise now that we're even further behind."

"I said I was sorry."

"Just get your head in the game Case," he said. "This is fucking serious business that could ruin us all if it goes to shit."

Casey just shrugged. Honestly, he didn't care.

* * *

Charlie stopped and stared at the sign. "Ok, so we're not stealing another car," she said as she followed Joey onto the used car lot.

"I saw this on our way through town before," Joey explained. "I figure buying a car will attract less attention than leaving a trail of stolen cars in our wake."

"Good idea," Charlie said. "How exactly do you intend on paying for it though?" Charlie knew Joey's cards had been confiscated when she'd been brought in and her accounts frozen, since they couldn't risk allowing her access to them and sending out a red flag to their position. It was just an added safety precaution they did with all their protectees, regardless of whether their identity was known to others or not. They'd also taken the cash she'd had on her at the time, which was why Charlie was curious as to how Joey intended to pay for a used car. They certainly couldn't use her cards, because she'd purposely left them behind when she took this job and she only had a small amount of cash on her. Then to her amazement, Joey whipped out a credit card.

"With this," Joey said with a smug grin.

"Hang on, how do you have that?" Charlie demanded to know. "Did you steal it?"

"Of course not."

"Then why is there a different name on it?"

"Oh look, the salesman has noticed us," Joey said, thereby avoiding Charlie's question. "Just stand there and look hot."

Charlie fumed at the suggestion while Joey greeted the salesman.

"This is such a stroke of good fortune," Joey said. "Our car packed it in and I suddenly remembered passing your lot only a short time ago," she said and Charlie rolled her eyes at how saccharine her tone was.

"So you're after a trade in?"

"Not really. My car has seen better days and I'd probably get more selling it for parts, but I don't really have time to do that just yet," Joey expertly lied. "You see, my girlfriend and I are running late and if we lose any more time in getting to the city, we'll miss our cruise ship and also lose our deposit."

"Oh, girlfriends," he smirked while Charlie glared at her.

"Well, more life partners who would marry if the PM wasn't such a dinosaur," Joey said, enjoying the daggers Charlie was sending her way. As for the salesman. Well, she'd pegged him the moment she'd seen him and knew all he'd remember from this encounter, was the image now playing in his mind of two hot chicks getting it on during a cruise. "So, can you help us out? I can pay straight away."

Beaming, the man put his hand on Joey's elbow. "Come with me and I'll fulfil your requirements."

Charlie nearly gagged at how sleazy he was, but Joey just kept smiling at him, acting all oblivious to it.

* * *

Twenty-five minutes later, they were heading out of town in their newly purchased used car, with Charlie still wondering where the credit card had come from. Had Joey stolen it? It would be risky, because the moment it was reported stolen, it became useless, except as a guide to anyone who might be looking into stolen items as a way to find them. Since Joey had chosen not to steal another car just to avoid signposting their path, then Charlie was inclined to believe that the card wasn't one she'd stolen. After all, buying a car with a stolen credit card would be no different to stealing the car, as the end result would be the same. The car details, including rego number, would eventually become known to anyone looking into it. If not stolen, then it meant Joey had smuggled that card in with her. Not only that, it had a fake name and obvious funds in the account. Just who the fuck was this woman, Charlie found herself wondering yet again.

* * *

As far as Watson was aware, she was the first of the pursuers on the scene. Checking her uniform was in order, she got out to talk to the local officers.

"What happened here?" she asked the closest one to her.

He was about to tell her to go away, until he saw her uniform and gave her a nod in way of a greeting.

"Car ended up in the river, two dead," he said. "They were still in their seats when we towed the car from the water."

"How did they end up in the river?" Watson said, relieved when she recognised Mick's sedan. No great loss to society there and it meant she still had a chance to redeem herself.

"They must have missed the sign about the bridge."

"What sign?"

"That it's out."

Watson's brow went up. It was unlike Mick to be so stupid.

"We reckon another car was involved," he explained. "There's tyre tracks to a second car that appears to have braked and swerved to miss the bridge and the front of the sedan is pretty smashed in. There's red paint flecks, so looks like this idiot tangled with the other car and going by the pattern of the dings, it was more than just once," he said. "I reckon he was nudging at the car in front of him."

"As in trying to run it off the road?"

"That'd be my bet," he said. "It all tracks with the reports we received earlier of two cars moving at high speed heading out of the town." The constable peered at her more intently. "Any reason why you're so curious about this?" he suddenly asked.

"I've been trailing a couple of people and lost track of them," she said. "I heard about this over the radio and came to see if it was my guys."

"Is this them?" He said, showing her pictures of the bodies.

"Nah, never seen these two before," she said. "Was any id found?"

"We recovered the driver's wallet. His name was Mick Jameson," he replied. "The tow truck driver reckons he was a former rally driver or something."

"Sorry, doesn't ring a bell at all."

"Well, whatever he used to be, he obviously had a career change," he said. "He was a drug dealer and a major one at that."

"Seriously?"

"Take a look at what we found in the boot of his car."

Shit, thought Watson. Brax was going to be pissed when he found out he was going to be out a few 100 grand in coke. It was no wonder there were so many smiles on the faces of her fellow officers. A drug bust like this was big news and could be career defining for the ambitious. Unfortunately, in light of this development, it was even more important now for her to silence the witnesses, because Brax would be looking to take his anger out on the next person who pissed him off.

"Looks like these two got what they deserved then," said Watson. "Well, thanks for the update, but I should be continuing after my own guys."

"Good luck."

"Thanks." She might need it. Going by the time of the accident, Charlie and Joey were still a good few hours ahead of her. The only bright side? There weren't that many roads from here that they could have taken.


	11. Chapter 11

Joey glanced across the car. Charlie had been quiet for the past couple of hours now and one look at her pained face, told Joey why.

"You're still not upset about those idiots in the car, are you?" she said.

"They're dead."

"Better them than us," said Joey, then she sighed in understanding. "Look Charlie, even had we wanted to, we wouldn't have been able to save them," she said.

"So you've said."

"Do you honestly believe you'd have had the strength and skill to swim against that current, free those men from the car and then help them out of the water?"

"No, but we should have at least tried."

"And possibly died in trying," said Joey. "I get that you feel you've failed in your police officer duties, but you need to look at the realities of the situation back there and the big picture overall."

"I know," Charlie muttered. "It just doesn't sit well with me and never will."

"Well, you're going to have to find a way to deal with it Charlie, because chances are, that might not be the only time we find ourselves in a situation where it's us or them," Joey pointed out. "And if it does happen again, do you intend to do nothing or will you defend yourself?"

"That's a little different to what happened back there," Charlie replied.

"Perhaps, but the end result is the same," she said. "It's about us surviving, Charlie and I don't know about you, but I like living and I intend on doing whatever is necessary to keep it like that."

"What exactly do you mean by that?"

"It means that I am not going to let a bunch of killers or corrupt cops get their wish in seeing me dead," Joey emphatically stated. Charlie had to admire the other woman's determination, yet there was a part of her that was worried just exactly how far Joey was willing to go. One thing was certain though and that was that she was going to have her beliefs and principles further tested during their fight for survival. Charlie just hoped she was up for it.

* * *

"The Drugs Squad are sniffing around our business, but there's nothing to trace those drugs to us other than Mick and Jarrod used to work here," Heath's voice said over Watson's phone.

"Used to?"

"Yeah, turns out we fired them a month ago and our paperwork and payments will show just that."

Watson smiled. It never ceased to amaze her that Brax always had contingency plans in place for when things went wrong. Except for the matter of a certain witness and cop. Those two women were proving more dangerous than any task force sent to bring them down, so finding those two bitches was now more important than ever.

"What's the rest of the cop situation like?" Watson asked him. "Word is all over the radio about the drugs discovery, but I haven't heard a peep on anything else."

"We haven't heard anything from the inside either, so your cover is still in place," he said. "For the moment," he added ominously.

Watson was well aware that if her cover was blown, then she wouldn't be much use to the Braxtons. Not only that, she'd likely have to go on the run to avoid jail and she didn't want that. She had no intention of walking away from the life she'd worked damn hard to have.

"Don't screw this up, Watson," he warned her. "Mick has already cost Brax a fortune in lost drugs, not to mention he's had to placate our dealers and buyers, who aren't happy they've got nothing to sell until Brax can resupply them and so you do not want to fail again."

"I won't," she assured him. She was going to find those women if it was the last thing she did.

* * *

Charlie lent against the side of the car as she nibbled on her Chiko roll. She was barely tasting it as it went down, her mind too preoccupied with other things to really care about what she was eating. Was she up to this? This wasn't exactly in her job description. She was the cop, the one in charge of protecting others, yet somewhere along the way, it felt as if she'd been reduced to the role of sidekick with the way Joey was making all the decisions. Did she care? That was part of the problem. It didn't matter that Joey had the gun, therefore the balance of power, because the truth was, she was allowing Joey to make the decisions and while she'd mulled over her options in over powering Joey, she'd always found a reason not to. She hated this, yet in a strange way, it was a relief not having to make the difficult decisions for a change. It also gave her time to think of her other options. If only that time had afforded her with the right options, because right at this moment, her best option appeared to be to keep doing what she already had been doing, which was nothing. Charlie snorted. That was how bad her current situation was. That she was just going along with a woman she didn't trust one bit. A woman she was increasingly becoming aware was not the person she'd first appeared to be. A woman who lied as if she'd done it often. A woman who handled a speeding car like a pro. A woman who carried a gun like she knew how to use it. A woman who was smiling at her right now as if she knew exactly what Charlie was thinking. God, what a fucked up situation this was, she thought as she raised her Chiko toward Joey in a mock salute. Joey just grinned at her further and Charlie felt a little flutter, which she quickly dismissed. The woman was attractive, there was no denying that, but after her stupidity with Watson in letting her guard down, there was no way in hell that she was going to succumb to her hormones again, no matter how much they teased her.

* * *

The empty bottle flew through the air and smashed against the road sign.

"Calm down, Tegan," Hayley said.

"Do you know how much Brax just lost?" she said. "Not to mention Mick and Jarrod are dead. Granted, I'm not going to miss either dickhead, neither is Brax, but their deaths and the drugs are going to mean the cops are going to be sticking their noses in where none of us want it."

"Then it's a good thing we're out here, while the cops are back there wasting their time with Brax," said Hayley.

"And we're not wasting our time out here?" Tegan said. "Let's face it Hails, we could be driving around forever and still not find those bitches."

"We're going to find them," Hayley asserted. "And when we do, I'm going to watch you gut them for the pigs they are, before we fuck like we've never fucked before."

Tegan grinned. "You're my kind of girl."

* * *

Charlie stared with displeasure at the bed in their newly rented hotel room.

"A double?" she muttered unhappily.

"We're posing as girlfriends, so it would have been a bit odd to then ask for two single beds."

"Why are we even posing as girlfriends?"

"Less questions as to why two women would be travelling and staying in the same hotel rooms together."

It made a morbid kind of sense, but Charlie didn't like it one bit.

"You can have bed, I'll take the chair," Joey told her as she began to unpack.

"Aren't you forgetting my jewellery for the night?" Charlie said, holding her hands out toward her.

"No cuffs," said Joey. "If you want to go, you can go, but don't expect me to stick around the moment you're out that door."

Charlie stood in stunned surprise. This was the last thing she'd expected. "What, so you're just letting me walk out that door?"

"If that's what you want, then you can go, I won't stop you."

"Why?" she asked in confusion.

"Because I'm not your captor Charlie and if you're only going to resist me at every stage, then I'm better off doing this on my own."

"So I can just walk out that door, contact the police and you won't stop me?"

"Nope, you can do as you please," she said. "Just bear in mind the danger you're putting yourself in if you do," Joey warned her. "Even the local coppers we pass along the way we can't rely on. I mean, chances are, their first act will be to contact someone in the city and if the wrong copper is on the other end of that call, then you've not only told them where to find us, their associates will have been allowed to get closer in the mean time."

"There has to be someone I can trust."

"Isn't it better to work that out first, because if you misjudge your next move in any way, you might not get a second chance," Joey told her. "Charlie, I'm not going to stop you from making your own decision, but I honestly think it would be best for us to stick together, at least until we can work out a way around this," she said. "But if we are to do this together, we both have to be committed to this, because I don't want to be arguing with you every step of the way."

Charlie frowned at what that potentially meant.

"So, what, we're actually going to have to start trusting each other?"

"My trust in anyone is almost nonexistent after the last few days, but I'm a realist and I seriously believe there is safety in numbers," Joey said. "Besides, we're both in the same dangerous situation and if we can't trust and rely on each other to get out of it, what hope do we have?"

"Ok, let's say I agree to this," Charlie said. "I'd need some assurances."

"Such as?"

"You won't just dismiss any advice I give."

"I'll take on board and consider anything you have to say, as long as it's not about turning ourselves in."

It was a start, thought Charlie.

"Also, the gun," she said. "I don't like you having it."

"Too bad, because I'm keeping it."

"Then at least promise me you won't draw it on me or anyone else."

"That's a little harder to promise," said Joey. "If we're in this together, then I don't see why I'd need to raise it against you anyway, but those people after us, well, if we're in danger, I might have no other choice, except to use it on them."

"I can live with that, if it's purely used for self-defence."

Joey did her best not to roll her eyes at Charlie's insistence on playing by certain rules that she knew no one else would be playing by. "Anything else?"

"I have some questions I'd like you to answer, but I'm not sure now is the right time to ask them." Not when they were trying to find a way to trust each other, which Charlie wasn't sure was even possible as long as so much remained unknown about this woman. On the other hand, Joey had made the first move in trusting her by leaving off the cuffs at night. Joey was also likely right in that they stood more chance together, than alone, so perhaps she could trust her in so far as they both wanted the same thing. To find a way through this. That didn't mean she had to completely trust her, just enough to achieve their goal. Could she do that? The alternative was walking through that door and trusting in her fellow colleagues, even after one of them had tried to kill her and another had likely set her up. It was the hardest choice she'd ever had to make.

"So what's your decision?" said Joey. "We go it alone or together?"

"Fine, we stick together, at least until I can figure out what I'm going to do," Charlie said.

"You can leave at any time, Charlie, but if you do, just give me the courtesy of letting me know beforehand, because I have no intention of sticking around as long as there are people trying to kill me." She held out her hand to Charlie. "Deal?"

This was likely the dumbest decision she'd ever made, yet Charlie put her hand in Joey's and shook it. "Deal."

"Now that that's out of the way, I get first dibs on the shower."

Charlie had a feeling Joey was testing their newly aligned agreement by leaving her alone with the phone and car keys, and Charlie wondered if she'd still be able to honour that agreement the moment the bathroom door closed between them. She was about to find out.


	12. Chapter 12

Charlie hadn't slept well. While she'd chosen to honour her agreement with Joey and not make that call or take the car, she was still bothered by the death of those two men. The most annoying thing was, she actually agreed with Joey in that they wouldn't have been able to save those men had they even tried, yet standing by and doing nothing while they drowned was just so at odds with what being a cop was and that was why it bothered her so much, especially in light of Watson's corruption and Nick's betrayal. Her whole world and everything she'd believed in and held sacred, had come crashing down on her in the past few days and she couldn't even rely on who she was. A cop. And as such, she had no idea how to deal with it, other than going over it in her head ad nauseam. Charlie wished she could stop doing that, because telling herself the same thing was becoming increasingly frustrating. Solutions would be much better. Unfortunately, aside from coming to a sort of truce with Joey, a truce of which she was still sceptical of, solutions were another matter, because so far, each one she came up with required her to have faith and trust in an organisation she now knew had been corrupted. There had to be someone within the Force she could contact though. Who though? Jack? They'd been partners more than friends, yet he'd always had her back. Until now, when his absence had allowed that traitorous bitch to take his place. Did that mean he was also part of the problem? That she even suspected that, said he was off her list of contacts, because she couldn't afford to have any doubts. Doubts could be costly, as would any mistakes be.

Charlie sighed at her predicament. Obviously, the first person she needed to trust in, was herself. If she couldn't even do that, then she really was fucked. It was so fucking hard though. In the past, she'd never second-guessed herself and had always believed in her abilities and instincts. Things had changed since then of course, her confidence was shot and now she spent more time doubting herself than believing in it. She really needed to work on that. Determined to do just that, Charlie then turned to her other problem. Joey.

She'd agreed to trust her, at least to a small degree and that was about as far as she'd gotten. Who was this woman? No doubt, there were questions she wanted to ask her, yet she kept finding excuses for not asking them. It wasn't the right time, blah, blah, blah, when truth be told, it was more out of fear of the answers she'd get to those questions that held her tongue, because she strongly suspected she wouldn't like what Joey had to say. Joey Collins was a woman of secrets, that was for certain, yet the one thing she would say for Joey, was that the woman knew how to cope with uncertainty. Charlie hadn't seen any of the same doubts she'd had herself, instead, Joey had buckled down and made the decisions for the both of them and along the way, managed to get them out of one mess, then another. Had Joey not held it together, they may never have come this far and for that, Charlie was grateful, but also a little resentful. Grateful at least one of them was holding it together enough to think ahead, yet resentful because it merely highlighted her own inadequacies throughout this dangerous time. She was the cop, Joey her protectee and she'd allowed the positions to be reversed.

What a thoroughly unpleasant feeling this was, thought Charlie and it was definitely something she never wanted to experience again. So how did she get past this? She went back over her training. At the Academy, they'd been warned of times like this, where self-doubt could take hold and affect your decision making, amongst other things, and it was something many cops would have to deal with. The instructors always liked to point out to them, that how each officer dealt with and overcame these periods of self-doubt, went a long way toward what sort of cop they'd become. So Charlie, are you going to let this situation beat you down and define you in a negative way or are you going to fight it, just as you've fought for justice and for what was right your entire career, she asked herself.

"Fight," Charlie determinedly said. She was going to fight these feelings of self-doubt and learn to trust herself again. Well, now that was decided, she knew where the best place to start would be and that was in getting Joey to hand over the car keys. Joey had said she would be willing to listen to her, so her first test was to talk Joey into letting her drive. It may seem a small, trivial thing, yet it was about gaining back control, which she didn't feel she had by being a passenger all the time. She wanted to be a partner in this, not a tag-a-long.

Just at that moment, Joey walked back into the room and Charlie's stomach rumbled at the aroma of warm food in her hand. Damn, that woman knew how to get to her and she automatically scowled when she caught Joey's knowing smirk, which just made the woman smirk even more. That was another thing she needed to work on. Stop reacting to Joey's taunts. The bag was waved right in front of her nose as Joey passed by on her way to the table. Not reacting was definitely going to be one of the more difficult tasks, because the woman seemed to get great pleasure in needling her at every opportunity.

* * *

"Wrong fucking way again," Pee Wee fumed at the latest dead end. "We might as well give up and go home," he muttered.

"Sure, which way is that?" Brodie said. Even his usual, easygoing manner was becoming somewhat frayed.

"I was joking about going home," he said.

"We might as well though," said Brodie. "We've got no hope of finding them when we don't even know where we are."

Pee Wee sighed. He was right. Neither of them had any sense of direction and it was becoming increasing clear that they just weren't cut out for road trips. "Ok, so we go home and we tell Brax we fucked up," he said. "That will go down so well after yesterday's bust with Mick."

"I vote for sticking on the road," Brodie hastily said. None of them wanted to be near Brax when he was in one of his moods. There was a tendency for him to take his frustrations out in a violent way toward others, even at his own brothers at times and so he and Pee Wee would be fair game to his raging fists.

"Good, now the next town we find, we're buying one of those GPS direction thingies."

* * *

"Ok, now release the handbrake and ease the car forward," Joey said in an incredibly smug and condescending manner.

Don't react, don't react, Charlie's little voice in her head kept telling her. She'd gotten her wish and was now driving, that's what counted, so just ignore the aggravating woman sitting next to you. Don't even look at her.

"We're going right, which is that way," Joey said with a point of her finger.

Don't react, don't react and maybe she'll grow bored of it, Charlie told herself.

"Keep the car on the left side of the road."

My god, this woman could get an Oscar for the most aggravating performance and against her own advice, Charlie glanced sideways. Just as she'd expected to see, Joey was grinning from ear to ear. "You really are an incredibly annoying woman," Charlie couldn't resist saying.

"Thank you," chirped Joey. "I try very hard."

"You're very trying, that's for sure," muttered Charlie and Joey chuckled.

"See, you are capable of making jokes."

Charlie just rolled her eyes. It was a lost cause, though she would say one thing about Joey's annoying habits. She just realised that it gave her something and someone else to focus on, rather than solely on the danger after them. However, only time would tell whether she could survive both experiences.

* * *

Watson whistled as she strolled back to her car. Despite being tired from the lack of sleep, her day had gotten off to a great start, with confirmation from the locals of this small town that Charlie and Joey had not only been through here, she'd made great time on the road and was now the closest to them she'd been since the Motel encounter. By rights, she was meant to call this in, but fuck the others. This was her chance of redemption and with Brax on the warpath after yesterday's disaster, getting back into his good books was by far her main priority. Well, after getting those bitches, of course.

She grinned at a couple of women who were filling up their car in the bay next to hers. Friendly, but straight, thought Watson, as they smiled back. Damn, she could really do with a release and a little ménage à trios would have gone down nicely. Oh well, maybe on the trip back she'd find a nice, lonely woman looking for a memorable time.


	13. Chapter 13

_Yay, the site is working properly again. Been trying to update for the last couple of days, but couldn't log in. Hopefully it's all fixed and updates will be back to normal._

* * *

For the first time since this nightmare had begun, Charlie was feeling more like her old self. She still had some way to go to get her full confidence back, but the simple act of driving was affording her with a sense of freedom she hadn't had until now. It also helped that Joey no longer relied on cuffs and though she still had the gun, at least it was out of sight, making it easier for Charlie to put it from her mind. If only it was as easy to put those behind them out of her mind. No matter how much she tried or how hard Joey tried to annoy and distract her, that fear remained. Perhaps she should view that as a positive, because as long as it was there, she'd keep her guard up, which would be a key element to staying alive.

Should that also apply to her passenger? Sparing a quick glance sideways, Charlie noted that Joey was gazing out the window, apparently lost in her own thoughts. Should she let her guard down around this woman or keep it up? Given what she did and didn't know about Joey Collins, it was a question Charlie wasn't sure she could satisfactorily answer just yet. She needed to know more about her first and when the time felt right, she would get around to asking the necessary questions. Eventually. Unless she came up with more excuses not to.

Oh Charlie, you'd been going so well til then. Oh well, sometimes progress was slow. That brought a smile to her face. Wow, she really was feeling better, if she could now smile at her own idiocy.

* * *

"Nick, can I have a word with you?" Nick looked up from his desk to the young woman standing in his office doorway. "It's rather urgent."

"Of course," he said, as Det. Cont. Amelia Graves entered his office and closed the door behind her. If she looked young for her rank, it was because she was young, but only a fool would ever underestimate her. Nick knew that beneath that earnest and youthful expression, was a sharp mind and someone who wasn't afraid to use people's misconception of her to her advantage, which made her dangerous to anyone trying to pull the wool over her eyes. She was also an idealistic straight arrow, to the point where he'd almost say she was incorruptible, if history hadn't already taught him to never assume that about anyone. This one might be different though. She really might be one of the most honest cops he'd ever met and word was, that the rank of Inspector or even Commissioner wasn't beyond her reach and she'd likely be the youngest ever to obtain either of those ranks when that time no doubt came. For her sake, he hoped her current assignment didn't have her picking up any bad habits from her partner. Robert Robertson had the ability to piss off a saint if he put his mind to it and as head of the taskforce going after the Braxtons, Graves was his junior partner and liaison between him and the other departments, for which Nick was thankful. The less he had to deal directly with that annoying prick, the better.

"You said it was urgent," Nick said as Graves took a seat opposite him.

"It is," she replied. "There's something funky with our witness."

"Funky?" Nick murmured, hardly a word he'd expected to hear from her lips.

"Something not quite right."

"I'm aware of what you meant," he said. "What is it exactly that is funky about her?"

"We've been trying to find out more about her, only the deeper we've dug, the more things aren't adding up," she told him. "There are inconsistencies with her past, going back to her foster care days. It appears as if there are gaps in her file from DOCS."

"No surprise there, given their chronic understaffing and funding issues over the years."

"It could be just that, if only it was an isolated case," Graves said. "There are just things about her past and work history that aren't adding up once we started scraping past the surface," she said. "We knew from the initial check that she had history working on the docks and on boats, yet nothing to suggest any connection to the Braxtons."

"Are you saying there is now something to connect her?"

"Not exactly."

"Then what are you saying?"

"That we need to talk to our witness to clear up a few things," said Graves. "We'd like for you to arrange a meeting with her within the hour."

Nick swallowed. The moment he'd been dreading was now upon him and he knew he couldn't delay this any further.

"That might be a little difficult," he said.

"How so?"

"Because your witness is in the wind," Nick finally admitted. "Along with one of my officers."

* * *

"Hot! Hot! Hot!" Joey sang out as the hot chip danced across her fingers, before landing in the dirt at her feet.

"I did warn you they'd be hot," Charlie smugly said. Gee, that felt good.

"Yeah, well, there's hot and then there's hot," Joey said as she stuck her slightly singed digit into her mouth.

Charlie blew on her chips, then placed one in her mouth. "Oh, yum," she enthused as she chewed. "Just the right temperature to salivate over."

Joey glared at her. Yep, it definitely felt good to return the favour to Joey after all her annoying antics lately.

"So, where do we go from here?" Charlie asked, before more chips disappeared.

"We keep down this road for the next couple of hours, then we'll need to take a left."

"Are we still going around in circles?"

"Not anymore," said Joey. "It's still more of a scenic route than absolutely necessary, but I really want to make sure we shake any tail before we get anywhere near where we're going."

"What is this place like?"

"It's small, nice, friendly and it should be easy enough to hide out there." At least she hoped things hadn't changed too much since the one time she'd been there years ago.

"If it's a small town, then won't strangers stick out even more?"

"Nah, there's tourists going to and fro all the time, so two more shouldn't attract attention," she said. Once again, she hoped that was the case. "We can stop and buy some bikinis and towels on the way, so we'll look more touristy when we get there."

"I'm more of a one piece girl, myself," said Charlie.

Joey let her eyes run from Charlie's feet, to her face. "Seems a damn shame to cover up that much," she smirkingly said and Charlie flushed at her blatant suggestiveness. "Me, I'm not afraid to flaunt a bit of skin, as long as I'm comfortable doing it."

"I'm comfortable in a one piece," Charlie lied again. She hadn't worn a one piece since High School and much preferred a bikini, but there was no way she was going to give Joey the satisfaction of seeing her in a skimpy bikini. There was just something about the way Joey looked at her at certain times, that was a little unnerving.

"Your choice," said Joey.

"Yes, it is my choice," said Charlie. "Oh and by the way, I choose not to be your girlfriend when we get there."

"Why not?" she replied. "Posing as a couple is the perfect cover for us."

"It might be fine for quick stops and overnighters, but for anything longer than that, we'd actually have to make some effort to act like a proper couple or people might start getting suspicious." She had no idea how long they'd be in this town, though she was hoping it wouldn't be for long at all, but since nothing about this whole situation had been smooth sailing, it wouldn't hurt to plan for the worst, in that she'd be stuck with Joey for much longer than she'd wanted. God, how quickly things had changed. When it was a simple case of witness protection, she'd been prepared to take whatever time was required, whether it was months, even years, yet now that it was just the two of them, all she could think about was ending it as soon as she could. Preferable by coming up with a working solution to their predicament, which unfortunately, was still eluding her.

"We could totally act as a proper couple," Joey defiantly stated. "We're both gay, so it's not like I'd have to train you in how to be around a woman you are supposedly dating."

"Train?" Charlie scoffed. "Like a poodle?"

"I'm thinking more of a Lab."

"I hope you're not implying I am anything like a Labrador."

"Of course not," said Joey. "Labs are cute, affectionate and useful when trained properly, which is hardly you."

Charlie's eyes narrowed. Rather than bite as she usually did at Joey's teasing, she felt her mouth twitching at the corners.

"Though, you do have that dopey Lab look going for you," Joey couldn't resist adding and Charlie gave up and laughed.

"You really are a smartarse," she said.

"It's an art form."

"An annoying one."

"So some say," Joey cheekily said. "Seriously though, posing as a couple is probably the safest way to go."

"Why not as sisters or just friends going on a road trip?"

"As sisters, we'd need to know far too many details about each other for it to work and we just don't have the time to come up with a convincing enough back story or the time to learn it, whereas as new girlfriends, it'd be understandable if there are still parts of our lives the other doesn't really know yet," Joey reasoned. "I honestly just think there'd be less questions asked of a couple travelling together."

"It does make sense, I suppose," Charlie conceded. "But we'd never pass as a convincing couple."

"Sure we would," Joey said and moved closer to her. "With a little practice."

"What the hell are you doing!" Charlie squeaked in panic when Joey's lips were mere centimetres from hers.

"Practicing being affectionate with my girlfriend."


	14. Chapter 14

Charlie could feel Joey's breathe on her lips, yet she made no attempt to back away, despite her brain yelling, 'move feet, damn it move,' but she remained frozen to the spot. What the hell was wrong with her? Had she learnt nothing from her encounter with Watson? Apparently not. As Joey's lips drew ever closer, Charlie resigned herself to what was about to happen. That moment though, didn't come.

"Ha, ha, got ya," crowed Joey as she jumped away without their lips having touched. Charlie scowled, more to herself than at Joey's antics, because she was embarrassed at her complete inaction at that moment. Joey had nearly kissed her and all she'd done was stand there like a stunned mullet. If Joey had had a gun, she'd have reacted immediately, but come at her with lips and she goes to water. God, her hormones were well and truly fucking her over lately.

"I was just kidding with the whole practicing thing, Charlie," Joey said. "And in all seriousness, if you don't think you can pull the whole girlfriends cover off, then we'll go with just being friends on a road trip or something," she said while Charlie regathered herself.

Get a grip you stupid dolt, Charlie told herself.

"Joey, do you really believe that us posing as girlfriends would be the best cover story to go with?" Charlie finally managed to get out.

"Yeah, I do," replied Joey.

"In that case," Charlie said, seizing the moment as she pulled Joey toward her. This time, their lips did meet. The kiss was gentle and unhurried and Charlie was trying desperately not to groan against the softness of Joey's lips, but it was bloody difficult. Between Joey's lips and the heat of her body pressed against hers, Charlie's pulse was racing as if she was running the 100m sprint and she could feel her own heat pooling between her legs.

On and on the kiss went, both women completely lost in the moment. Only when a passing car honked it's horn and the men inside it shouted various words of encouragement their way, did their lips finally part. Both women continued to stand there, with their bodies still touching even as their lips no longer did. Charlie stared into Joey's eyes. How had she never noticed how amazing those dark pools were?

"I think that settles it then," Joey said in a croaky voice. She shook herself as she stepped away from Charlie.

"Huh?" was all Charlie could say. She couldn't believe what she'd just done.

"Well, if we can kiss like that, then I think we'll have no trouble convincing others that we're a couple," she said. "Without the need for any further practice." Oh god Joey, what the fuck just happened? She'd never intended for it to go that far, and that it had been Charlie who'd taken it that extra step, had shocked her even more than her own inability to break away. Fuck, fuck, fuck, this was a complication she didn't need, nor wanted.

"Yeah, even I'm convinced now that we can sell us as a couple," Charlie agreed. She ignored the pang of disappointment she felt at the thought of no more practicing, only to then castigate herself for even having those feelings. This was a woman she didn't know, didn't trust and so not having to kiss her again was a good thing. Charlie sighed. She had a feeling she was going to be spending the rest of the day trying to figure out why she'd even kissed her in the first place.

* * *

Nick had a headache and it was in the large form of Robert Robertson. He could understand the other man being pissed. He was pissed as well and Nick knew he'd fucked up, but Robertson acting like a jerk wasn't going to get them their witness back.

"I can't believe you have sat on this for days," Robertson continued to rage. "I should have been notified immediately that my witness had done a runner," he said. "Not to mention that there are corrupt cops involved. How the hell did this happen?"

"I've been trying to figure that out," Nick said.

"You're the one who assigned her to the detail."

"Only after a recommendation from Inspector David Joyce," Nick replied. "He's the one who sent her my way."

"You're not suggesting anything untoward on his part, are you?"

"No, but I don't buy it being a simple coincidence that one of Braxton's cops made it onto this particular detail."

"How can you be sure Watson is the bad cop and not Buckton?"

"Because I've known Charlie most of her career."

"Are you close?"

"Professionally, yes, but I'm not in the habit of socialising regularly with other cops outside of work, so their private lives are largely their own," he said.

"Then how can you be so certain Buckton is on the level?" Robertson persisted. "I've looked over Watson's record, it is also exemplary, so you'll forgive me if I'm not as convinced as you on who is the bad guy here if all you have to go on is that you've known Buckton longer than Watson."

"Charlie's worked on other details that have involved major crimes and there has never been a problem," Nick said. "This was Watson's first, which is remarkable for someone of her young age."

"That didn't make you suspicious?"

"No," he replied. "Why should it? I'd lost one officer for personal reasons and his replacement was recommended from higher up, so I had no reason to mistrust her."

"I'll be speaking to Joyce," said Robertson. "I find it hard to believe he's involved, but even if he didn't know about Watson, then someone had to be in his ear for him to have sent her your way." He stared at Nick. "I'm still not happy that you didn't report this the moment you found out."

"I was trying to contain the situation," he told him. "If word got out about corrupt cops and another lost Braxton witness, our time would be wasted explaining it to our superiors and dealing with the media, not to mention, alerting Watson and anyone else that may be after them," Nick explained. "It may not have been the smartest move, but I did what I thought was right."

"Where is Watson now?"

"As far as I know, she's still following Charlie and your witness," he said. "I just have no idea where that is."

"When was the last time she called in?"

"Yesterday," he said. "She didn't give me much."

"And she has no idea that you haven't bought into her story?"

"None."

"That's something at least and could play in our favour," he said. "Now, is there any reason as to why Buckton hasn't contacted you?"

"I only have Watson's version of events as to what happened in that Motel room, but I can imagine it left Charlie with some trust issues where the uniform is concerned."

"So how do we draw her and my witness in?"

"I sent someone after them, but just in case he's not in time, I've been leaving messages in the paper for Charlie," he explained. "It's a way we've used in the past to pass on information without risking direct contact and I'm hoping that Charlie bites." This was the first time Nick resented the extra precautions they took in Protective Services, because the ban on mobiles, computers and cars with GPS was now playing against them.

"This person you sent after them, you trust him?" Robertson asked him.

"He's family, so yes, I trust him."

"Family?"

"My wife's little brother."

"I want to see his file."

"There's not much in it," Nick said. "Angelo has been deep undercover with the Drugs Squad for years, so his history has been 'need to know' only."

"Am I to understand that you personally removed an undercover cop from his assigned duties without clearing it with his handler?"

"I was desperate," Nick said. "Besides, the people he's undercover with are tied up in this."

"Who?"

"The Pirovics."

"Jesus fucking christ," he muttered.

"Look, Angelo has a cover story in place for anyone who questions him about what he's up to."

"You're playing a dangerous game here," Robertson said. "The Pirovics are unpredictable and it's only their alliance with the Braxtons that has allowed them to evade justice for as long as they have."

"I know," Nick said.

Robertson got to his feet. "I don't like this one bit, but for the moment, going public probably isn't the best course of action," he said. "However, from this moment on, I want my own people on this."

"I'll pass on everything I know to date."

"See that you do," he said. "And Nick, I'm not taking any heat for this, so if this blows up, it will be on you and you alone."

"I understand."

"Good, then get my witness back."

* * *

Charlie stared at the page before her. She'd purposely been ignoring the personal sections of the newspapers for this very reason. The message Nick had left for her had appealed to their past and gotten her hopes up, only to be quickly dashed when reality, along with her insecurities and mistrust kicked back in. She really wished she could jettison that mistrust altogether, but after what had happened with Watson in that Motel room, it was going to take a lot more than a message in the personals to do it.

"Fuck," she muttered as she realised just how screwed up this situation was. If she couldn't find a way to trust someone within the Force in the first place, then how could she ever rid herself of this intense feeling of mistrust? It was like a bad joke and it was killing her. She had to do something and as dangerous as this proposed rendezvous could prove to be, at least she'd finally have an idea of where exactly Nick stood. Of course, the drawback could be disastrous, with either her death or capture. Charlie sighed. If she did take the risk, she knew she couldn't do this alone, but could she actually trust Joey to have her back, assuming she could even convince Joey to come with her, when Joey had made it abundantly clear that she wanted nothing to do with the police. Once again, it came down to a matter of trust.

"Fuck."

Charlie reread the message. Against her better judgement, she knew what she had to do.

"I have to take this chance," she decided, then murmured more quietly, "Please don't let this be a trap."


	15. Chapter 15

"If things go bad, we head this way," Joey said, pointing to the map laid out over the bonnet of their car. They were ten minutes from the area of town they'd chosen for the rendezvous and therefore, forty-five minutes from coming face-to-face with the man Nick had sent to meet with Charlie. After she'd called Nick, she'd agreed to the meet, provided she could set the time and place, and so for the past three or so hours, she and Joey had been studying the maps of the town, working out exit strategies, as well as going over every single detail of the area this was all to go down in, just in case it all went wrong and they needed to make a quick getaway. The spot they'd chosen for the rendezvous led off into three different directions and along each of those roads, were multiple side roads, which meant that if they managed a clean exit, then any pursuer would have to gamble on which way to go after them. Knowing their luck though, there was a good chance they'd choose the right one. Still, the more exit options there were, the more chance any pursuer would get it wrong, which would give her and Joey more time to put some distance between them.

Charlie listened to Joey as she went over the strategy yet again. She was still amazed that Joey had even agreed to accompany her on this potentially foolhardy mission. Not only that, Joey had taken very little convincing. Charlie suspected that Joey was using this just to prove once and for all that the cops couldn't be trusted. Whatever her reasoning for being here was, Charlie was just glad that she wasn't in this on her own, even if part of her had been secretly hoping Joey would say no, thereby giving her a reason to abandon this foolish plan. She shook her head and allowed herself a wry smile. Only yesterday, she doubted she'd have trusted Joey at her back, but it was amazing how quickly things were turning. It didn't mean that she trusted Joey, it was just enough to have her there. Along with the gun. That was a little more uncomfortable for Charlie, knowing that Joey would be watching the meet with the gun at the ready. What if this Angelo guy really was legit, yet Joey panicked? The last thing they needed was to be caught in a shootout none of them wanted and for a cop to end up dead by accident.

* * *

Graves wasn't sure if she was all that pleased about her latest assignment, with Robertson sending her to the rendezvous point, which to her, seemed utterly pointless as Buckton and their witness would most likely be in Angelo Rosetta's custody and already on their way back to the city, well before she even got there. She could see two possibilities for Robertson's way of thinking. One, he didn't trust Nick Parish or his man to do it right, or two, he just didn't trust them, full stop and given Watson's actions and Parish's silence until recently, Graves could certainly see why Robertson wasn't taking any chances. Still, she hated the idea of being sent on a wild goose chase when she already had so much to do here.

Her brow rose when she caught sight of the officer Robertson had assigned as her partner for this trip. If anything, Dexter Walker looked the part of a cop even less than she did, which was saying something. She knew how most people viewed her, so she could only imagine what they must think of Const. Walker.

"Det. Graves?" he said, greeting her with a cheery smile and a firm handshake. That got him a pass mark for Graves. She hated those blokes who went soft on the handshake because they were afraid she'd break or worse, the ones who tried to crush her hand as if to prove some bullshit macho point. Walker's was the right amount of pressure and there wasn't an ounce of condescension in his eyes. Bloody hell, he looks even more innocent than I did at that age, she suddenly thought.

"Const. Walker, is it?"

He nodded. "It's Dex."

"I'm Graves."

"Really, you go by your last name?"

"It's more authoritative."

"Than?"

"Amelia," she replied. "Come on, Christmas will be on us before we even get started."

* * *

Charlie's fingers tapped on the steering wheel. She was as nervous as hell, especially as the more she thought of it, the more she realised how close Nick's man must already have been to them. By rights, it should have taken a lot longer than a few hours for Angelo to get from the city to this town, which meant he'd already picked up their trail or just gotten damn lucky. Either way, she'd been shocked by how close he'd come on his own and it gave her cause for concern. How many others were out there? How close were they? She half expected Watson to pop out and scream, 'gotcha', before putting a bullet into her forehead. It would be just like that fucking bitch too. The nerve of that woman to not only have called Nick, but to have played the victim, while painting her out to be the corrupt one. Charlie had even more reason now to hate that bitch and she was damn well going to enjoy destroying her when the time came. First though, she'd have to find her, assuming Watson didn't find her first.

She glanced over her shoulder out of habit. Oh, how she longed for the day where she wasn't constantly looking over her shoulder for danger. This was definitely turning into the worst assignment ever and if she managed to get out of this alive, Charlie was seriously considering requesting a transfer back to patrol. Even a nice, steady nine-to-five shift at a desk would do just fine after this.

"Are you ready?" Joey asked her from the passenger seat.

"No."

Joey smiled at her. "You'll be fine," she reassured her. "If this guy tries anything, I'll be there in a flash."

"That's what I'm worried about," said Charlie. "That you'll come in, all guns blazing and you'll shoot me by accident."

"You'll be safe from me," Joey said. "I know what I'm doing, Charlie."

Of course she did, thought Charlie, at yet another reminder that danger could very well be sitting next to her right at this moment. You have to trust her now, she told herself. At least for the time being. Fucking hell, she really must have done something wrong in a past life to have ever gotten mixed up in this never ending nightmare.

* * *

Charlie glanced at her watch and saw that it was only thirty seconds since her last look. Fuck, she couldn't remember the last time she'd ever been this nervous. Maybe they should have waited until tomorrow to do this, but once she'd made the decision to contact Nick, she'd wanted to get this over with as quickly and as safely as possible, plus both she and Joey had thought there could be an advantage to staging the rendezvous at night. Far easier to escape under the cover of darkness, at least, that was the theory, but now, standing under this streetlight, all she felt was exposed. Suddenly, there were footsteps and she became even more nervous as she turned to where the footsteps were coming from. She was surprised by the man who was calmly, yet confidently, approaching her. The streetlights gave him an ethereal glow and she could see that he was handsome, with a friendly face and a smile that just screamed, 'you can trust me, I'm a police officer'. Charlie just hoped to god that she could trust him.

"That's far enough," she said the moment he came within ten metres of her position. "Are you Angelo?"

"Yep."

"How do I know you really are him?"

Angelo smiled. "Nick said you'd probably say that, so he gave me a message to relay to you as proof that I'm his man," he said. "Something about a stakeout, Celine Dion, a full bladder and."

"And that's enough," Charlie hastily said and she blushed furiously at the story Nick had chosen. It was definitely one that only the two of them had previously known about, which was a relief, as it was one of the most embarrassing nights of her life.

Angelo peered around Charlie. "Where's the witness?"

"I don't know," lied Charlie. "She took off when she realised I was handing myself in," she explained. "I tried to stop her, but she has no love of cops, especially me. She blames me for all of this and there was just no way I could talk her around," she told him.

"It seems a tad unfair for her to blame you, when it was Watson who did the dirty on the both of you," Angelo said. "That is how it happened, isn't it?"

"Yes," Charlie said.

"Boy, are there going to be some very red faces when word gets out that one of the Forces' up and comers is a Braxton stooge."

"It will be even worse if Nick turns out to be one as well," she dared to say. Charlie tried to gauge his reaction to her accusation, but his body language gave nothing away.

"Ah, you don't trust us either?"

"I'm here, aren't I?"

"Yet you're keeping your distance."

"Can you blame me?"

"No," he said. "After all, I am here to kill you."

At first, Charlie wasn't sure if she'd heard him correctly, since he'd spoken so calmly and matter-of-factly, but the gun now raised in his hand cancelled any doubts that she may have misheard him.

"I am so sorry about this, Charlie," Angelo said and to Charlie's chagrin, he did appear genuine, not that it helped her. "I don't have a choice. It's either you or me."


	16. Chapter 16

"Personally, I'd prefer it to be you," Charlie quipped and she was surprised by how calm her voice was, which was completely at odds with the inner turmoil she was feeling. Fuck you, Nick, she silently fumed. At least now she knew which side he was on, not that the satisfaction of that would help her right now. Amazing how she just stumbled from one mess into another, not always of her own making, but this one was definitely on her. She'd chosen to take the risk of meeting with Nick's man and it had backfired badly.

Finding herself yet again staring down the barrel of a gun, Charlie's mind started to calculate her chances of rushing at Angelo and disarming him without the gun going off, but she didn't like where the results were heading. Despite his good looks and 'trust me' smile, which no doubt aided him in carrying out his duties, Angelo Rosetta was not a man to mess with. He wasn't a great deal taller than her, but was strongly built and while she'd had little trouble in the past in dealing with men much larger than her, this was different. This man was a Police Officer who had been trained in the same way she had, which took away her tactical advantage. He knew what to expect. Then there was also the gun. It was being held in a firm, unwavering hand and Charlie knew the moment she made any movement toward him, she'd be dead before she even finished that first full step.

Charlie moved her gaze from the gun barrel, to his eyes. He'd appeared genuine when he'd apologised about this and she could see that in his eyes. Unfortunately, she could also see determination, so there was little hope of appealing to any sense of decency or honour, as she had a strong feeling nothing she said would alter his course of action. No, her only hope out of this unscathed, was Joey. What was Joey doing now? Charlie dared not look to where Joey had been hiding out, in case it clued Angelo in that she wasn't alone after all, but she was nervous over what Joey intended to do. If Joey came out firing, Angelo still might have time to get off a shot, if Joey didn't hit her, herself that is. Just get close enough to call out and distract Angelo, even let him see the gun, if that's what it took. Just don't fire, Charlie was trying to tell Joey without actually saying it aloud.

"I know what you're doing," Angelo said.

"And what is that?"

"You're trying to work out if you can rush me and get the gun away from me before I have a chance to react," he said. "You'll fail."

"You would say that, wouldn't you," Charlie said. "Why, Angelo? Why are you doing this?"

"I don't have a choice."

"You already said that," she replied. "Why don't you have a choice?"

"It's a test of loyalty and if I fail, I'm not going to like the fallout."

"Why is Nick testing you?"

Angelo laughed. After his momentarily lapse in letting his guilt get to him, he was back to feeling good and not just because of the refill he'd picked up earlier that day. He'd thought undercover work was a thrill, but he was quickly discovering that there was something strangely compelling about holding life and death in the palm of your hand.

"You really have no idea what is going on, do you?" he said.

"Why don't you tell me?"

"Ah, sorry Charlie, but I have a witness to track down and I'm through wasting any more time on you."

And so it all came down to this moment. Which way would it swing? The answer came just as Angelo's finger tightened on the trigger.

"Freeze or I'll shoot!" a voice called out from the darkness. Angelo automatically whirled toward it and Charlie took her chance. She went for him. Straight away realising his error, Angelo was able to dodge her attack and send Charlie sprawling face first into the footpath after he tripped her with his foot. Only her hands prevented her face from smashing against the ground. Pain shot through her wrists and palms as they bore the brunt of her weight. Wincing in pain, Charlie turned over and found herself nose to barrel with the gun. Again.

"I've had enough of this," Angelo hissed. He never had the chance to pull the trigger, as loud cracks of gunfire erupted into the night. One, two, three bullets struck Angelo in a tight pattern over his heart and he fell backwards.

Charlie crabcrawled backwards from his fallen body, a mixture of pain, shock and relief coursing through her body. She nearly flinched when a hand touched her shoulder.

"It's just me," Joey said, holding her hand out toward her. Ignoring the pain in her hands, Charlie took it and got to her feet.

"What have you done," she said.

"Saved your life," Joey calmly replied. She shrugged. "Hey, I warned him, but he didn't listen," she said. "A thank you would be nice."

"Ah, yeah, thanks," Charlie murmured. She shook herself. This was too much. An officer lay dead at their feet and they had no idea how much anyone else, besides Nick, knew about him. If there was no proof to Angelo's corruption, then she and Joey were now in more danger than just from Braxton goons. The Police took a very dim view in losing one of their own.

"Oh fuck," Charlie murmured.

"Come on, we've got to get out of here," Joey told her. "Someone had to have heard those shots and called the cops by now."

Charlie just stared at her. The woman was far too calm for someone who had just killed another person.

Sensing movement, Joey's eyes widened. "Oh bugger," she said. "Run!"

Charlie immediately responded without question and they both bolted just as Angelo sat up and fired, his bullets spraying wide, but not by much. He winced as he got to his feet and set off after them. Even with a bulletproof vest, those bullets still stung like a bitch and he'd have the bruises later to show for it.

In their haste to dodge bullets, the two women got separated at the first junction. Charlie went right, Joey went left.

* * *

Taking turn after turn, Joey raced around the next corner and found herself in a small alley.

"Shit." The two buildings either side of her offered no avenue of escape, with the nearest windows barred or out of reach. The way forward was also blocked. There was no way she could get over that brick wall. It was a dead end. She'd studied the map, yet she'd still managed to take a wrong turn. It should have been right, not left.

"Damn it Joey, you're getting careless," she murmured to herself. Charlie wasn't with her, which meant she must have gone the right way. At least she hoped that was the case.

She could hear pounding footsteps that warned he wasn't far behind her. Joey looked back down the way she'd just come. The streetlights lit the entrance to the alley, yet left the rest in relative darkness and as much as she loathed the idea of being cornered in an alley, the closeness of those footsteps told her that it was already too late to leave without the risk of being seen.

"Fuck."

Joey searched around her for a place to hide. There was nothing. Nothing except for the darkness of the shadows. There, in the corner, it was more than dark enough to hide from prying eyes. At least that was what she was desperately hoping was the case. She could hear him getting closer. She had no choice now. Backing into the corner of the alley, Joey calmed her nerves. The less sound she made, the better. With the gun held as if her hands were up in prayer, she waited.

* * *

Danger was yapping at her heels and Charlie ran, fear driving her forward, fear that every step she took, could be her last. She ran past parked cars, past houses, past shops closed for the night. She could hear sirens in the distance. Where once those sounds had been a familiar and comforting sound, they now brought nothing but worry. Her heart was thumping, her lungs were burning from her sprint, yet onward she ran. Zigging, then zagging, always with a clear mind of which path to take.

Finally, she slowed. There was no pursuit behind her. She'd gotten away. Had Joey? In the event they'd somehow become separated, they'd made contingencies to meet at a specified location. Charlie prayed that Joey would be there.

* * *

Time seemed to have slowed for Joey. She'd calmed her breathing, taking shallow, almost silent breaths, but she couldn't stop the thump, thump, thumping of her heart. It sounded like drums beating in the night. Each thump, louder than the last. An exaggeration of course, which Angelo couldn't hear. Joey could see him now, standing there under the street light. His hand was over his eyes, as if trying to better see into the shadowy darkness. Her eyes met his. Angelo's didn't react as they continued to scan the alley. He hadn't seen her. Yet. If he moved closer and allowed his eyes to adjust to the darkness, he may see her. She pressed herself harder against the wall.

He stepped forward and her hands tightened on the gun. He'd obviously been wearing a vest, which made any shot more difficult as the only effective shot would be to his head, a much smaller target that was more difficult to hit with any accuracy, especially when moving and in a darkened environment. Given the danger that came with missing the head shot, Joey vowed she'd only shoot if she had a clear shot or had no other option.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," Angelo sang out and the words bounced off the walls in an eerie echo. "Get out here you bitch," he added more menacingly. "I owe you a couple of bullets."

He wasn't sure she was there, of that she was certain. He was just trying to spook her enough to flush her out from wherever she was hiding. Ha, he was underestimating her if he thought that would work. Angelo kept coming forward, pausing every few steps to scan the shadows, searching for any movement, listening for any sound.

Joey barely dared to breathe when his eyes once again moved over her position. Still, the shadows protected her. If he got any closer, he may see her, even in the shadows. She stood frozen. Any movement would give her away. The tension in her body was almost at breaking point.

Piss off, she whispered over and over in her head. He couldn't hear her of course and he moved forward, ever so closer to discovering her. She cursed herself for her stupidity. What had all that planning been for, if the first thing she did, was get herself cornered in a dead end alley. Any other footpath or turn would have taken her to safety, yet she'd ran this way. A mistake she hoped wouldn't prove to be fatal.

Joey heard a heavy sigh.

"Damn it," she heard Angelo mutter as he turned away from where she was.

Escape was imminent, yet she dared not let out the breath she hadn't realised she was holding. Her eyes widened in sudden fear and she barely managed to stifle her gasp of horror. She couldn't see it, but she sure as hell felt it. It was a nightmare. She could feel each step of those hideous feet. One foot, two, three, all eight of them she could feel as it crawled across her face. It was huge. At least the size of a twenty cent, no fifty, no bigger, it was a fucking giant spider. At least that was what her phobia riddled mind kept screaming at her.

This spider might well be the death of her. If she fainted, she was dead. If screamed, she was dead. If she moved to flick it from her face, she'd reveal her position and she was dead. Joey squeezed her eyes shut and tried desperately to pretend she was somewhere else. An image of Charlie popped into her head. A little tweak of her imagination and Charlie was now standing before her in a bikini. A nice, skimpy, barely covering her nipples type of bikini. Joey's favourite sort. The Charlie image began a sensuous dance, her hands cupping playfully at her own breasts in a … the image disappeared in a burst of fear as the spider continued on its agonisingly slow crawl across her face. It was now hovering at the edge of her mouth. Joey could feel a foot beginning to touch her lips. Angelo was still there, yet to move away. Two legs were now on her mouth, another brushing by her nose. Her nerves were seconds from breaking.


	17. Chapter 17

"Where is she?" Charlie muttered. She'd arrived at the specified location and Joey was still nowhere to be seen. Had she misunderstood the plan? Charlie shook her head. No, this was definitely the place Joey had said to meet up at if they ever got separated and that had certainly happened. Not by choice, obviously, but still, they'd been split apart. So where was Joey?

Charlie glanced at her watch. How long should she wait? She didn't know. In the distance, she could still hear the faint screams of the sirens. Charlie could tell they were far enough away that she was safe. At least from them. As for Angelo, she had no idea.

* * *

Each step the spider took was an absolute nightmare for Joey. Such was her current state, that she barely cared that right in front of her, stood a man with a gun. A man who wouldn't hesitate to use that gun on her. But she didn't care right then. A gun and a man she could cope with. Not even the police sirens warning her that the police would soon be searching the surrounding area bothered her that much either, because at this very moment, an eight-legged freak was far worse. She had to get out of here.

With her fear of spiders overriding all else, her last nerve broke and Joey brushed frantically at the offending creature. Knowing as she did so, that she'd given her position away, she bolted from the shadows. Caught by surprise at her sudden appearance, Angelo failed to react in time and Joey slammed into him as hard as she could. Her forearm connected to Angelo's chest, right where Joey had shot him. Angelo was momentarily winded as her arm pressed the vest hard against his bruises as they both went down in a heap, their guns scattering across the ground, out of reach.

Joey didn't waste any time trying to find her gun in the shadows, she just ran. She didn't quite make it to entrance of the alleyway. Angelo had recovered quickly and sprinted right on after her and when he'd gotten close enough, he dove forward, his arms grabbing her around the waist and dragging her to the ground in a tackle that any footy player would have been proud of.

"Oomph," Joey groaned, the wind knocked out of her from her impact to the ground.

"Got you, you bitch," Angelo snarled. He moved and put his knee into her back, holding her face down on the hard, cold cement.

* * *

It was eerie out here, all alone in the dark. Aside from the distant sound of sirens, it was silent and that was exactly why they'd chosen this place. It was away from homes and businesses, not to mention, it also allowed them easy access to the path they'd need to take to get to where their car was hidden. The downside? There was no one around to hear a call for help and with the sudden sound of approaching footsteps now echoing loudly, panic began to set in again. Charlie searched frantically around her surroundings, before commonsense took over.

"Calm down," she told herself. "It's probably just Joey." Still, on the off chance it wasn't Joey, she should play it safe and hide, at least until she could see who was coming. She picked out a hiding spot as she listened carefully to the night. The person was definitely getting closer. Was it Joey? Angelo? What if Angelo wasn't working alone was the next unpleasant thought that popped into her head. Too late, a black mass launched itself from the darkness at her with a vicious hiss.

* * *

"Why did you have to run?" Angelo said. "You don't think we have better things to do than to waste our time chasing after you?" he said to her. "I should be at home getting the best blow job of my life every night, but instead I've been stuck out here looking for some stupid dyke."

"Sorry for the inconvenience," Joey said, her tone not in the least bit sorry.

"You're a smartarse."

"And you're an arsehole."

"You're not very bright, are you?" he said. "I have the upper hand here, not you."

"Keep believing that if it makes you feel safer."

"What, you actually think you can get out of this situation alive?"

"Yes," she stated emphatically and Angelo laughed.

"Oh that's a good one," he crowed. "I could do whatever I liked with you and you couldn't do damn thing to stop me," he said. "You know why? 'Cos I'm stronger than you," boasted Angelo. He flipped her over and sat on her stomach, his hands holding hers to the ground above her head, his face now centimetres from hers. "You're just a weak little lezzo," he said.

"That's where you're wrong."

"What the fuck!" hissed Angelo. "Are you just too dumb to realise you've lost?"

"You're the one who's lost, not me."

Her confidence was beginning to worry Angelo. What the hell was she up to? Just kill her and get it over with. Angelo couldn't see where his gun was, but he still had his knife. The moment Joey felt the pressure of Angelo's hands lessen on her own, she made her move. With all her strength, she reared upwards and her forehead connected with Angelo's chin. He howled in pain as his teeth clattered together. He howled again when her newly freed fist smashed into his nose. His eyes were watering as she pushed him off her.

"You're going to pay for that you fucking bitch," he said, swinging at her. He missed and Joey rolled away, quickly scrambling to her feet. Angelo was right after her.

Joey took a fighting stance and Angelo eyed her more warily than ever now. He wasn't going to underestimate her again and once he was through here, he was going to be asking some people why the fuck he wasn't warned about her.

"Now, what were you saying about weak lezzos?" Joey put her hand up, two fingers moving in 'come here' taunting gestures. "Come on tough guy." She needed to keep him off balance since that was her best hope against a physically stronger opponent, especially when her options were limited. His protective vest meant his legs, arms and head where her only viable targets, along with his nuts if she got the chance.

They circled each other, their eyes not leaving each others. All of a sudden, Angelo rushed her. Joey dodged out of the way, her elbow connecting with the back of his head for good measure as she completed her move. Cursing loudly, Angelo faced her again. It was easy to see the growing anger in her opponent and she intended to use that to her advantage. Overly emotional people made mistakes.

Angelo raised his hands like a boxer as they continued their circular dance. His left fist flew out, Joey parried it away with her right. Two lefts, quickly followed with a right were met with the same disdainful ease by Joey.

"Enough of this," said Angelo. With his eyes still on Joey, he raised his leg and removed the knife from the sheath he had strapped to the side of his shin.

"Hey now, that's not fair," Joey said, eyeing the knife off.

"Too fucking bad bitch," Angelo hissed and struck out with his arm. The knife glittered under the streetlight as he went after her. Joey ducked and weaved gracefully as Angelo tried over and over again to slice her. Just when he thought she was tiring, she blocked his forearm with hers, and brought her other elbow down on his wrist with as much power as she could muster. Effectively caught in a vice between Joey's arms, his wrist bent at impact and Angelo screamed in pain as he felt the bones in his wrist snap. The knife fell from his fingers. Joey kicked it away, just as Angelo lashed out in pain, his other fist finally connecting. Joey's breath whooshed out as he hit her in the solar plexus. He quickly followed up with a punch to Joey's jaw. Joey wavered on her feet, nearly toppling over.

Emboldened, Angelo ignored the excruciating pain of his broken wrist and moved in for the killer blow. Sensing the attack, Joey was able to sidestep at the last second and when he was past her, she shoved her hands into his back, sending him flying into the wall.

"Fuck!" Angelo cried, crutching his sore wrist to his chest. His foot kicked something. Smirking, he bent and picked up one of the fallen guns.

"Shit," muttered Joey as she searched frantically around. The knife was too far away and the other gun was still nowhere to be seen.

"Bye bye bitch," Angelo said.


	18. Chapter 18

"Fucking cats," Charlie hissed back at the offending creature that had just launched itself from the darkness at her. With her hand over her fast beating heart, Charlie hissed again at the cat. It hissed back. They stared at each other. "I'm bigger flea bag," Charlie said. The all-black cat seemed to reach the same conclusion and with a contemptuous flick of it's tail, the cat sauntered off into the night, no doubt looking for it's next victim to frighten the death out of. "Good riddance," she muttered. She really hated when cats did that in the movies and it was even worse in real life. It felt like such a bad cliché to have been frightened by a cat leaping out from somewhere at the worst possible time. At least the noise had just been a cat though and not something worse.

Charlie cocked her. She couldn't hear anything else in the immediate vicinity, which meant that Angelo wasn't coming right after her. It also meant Joey was still nowhere to be seen.

"Where the hell is she?" murmured Charlie. "Oh fuck off!" she hissed when the cat howled into the night. "I really do fucking hate cats."

* * *

Watson yawned as she listened over her phone. She really was going to have to catch up on some sleep soon.

"All I got was the name of a cop and something about a meeting," the other woman said. "I have no idea where or when it's all going down, only that Sgt Parish has arranged it."

"What's the name you got?"

"Angelo Rosetta."

"Never heard of him."

"I snuck a peek at his file and it's thin as, like paper thin."

"Shit," Watson murmured, knowing what that likely meant. "He's undercover."

"That's what I figured."

"Anything else, Steph?"

"Things have really heated up today and I've been overhearing a few other things here and there," Steph told her. "Like that maybe you're not such a good little girl after all."

"Fuck," she muttered. She'd suspected it was only a matter of time, yet part of her had still been hoping it wouldn't have come to this and now that it had, her life had gotten even more complicated, because now she'd have the cops on her tail, along with a very pissed off Braxton clan, unless she managed to salvage something from this mess. "How much time do I have?"

"Robertson's sending his little wannabe after his witness and someone else after you, but as far as I'm aware, they're not making any official announcement just yet, so it's still hush, hush, with only a few in the know."

That was something at least, she thought. With her cover blown, her usefulness to the Braxtons was diminished, which made it even more vital that she prove her usefulness to them in other ways and she needed them off her back to do that. Of course, that was reliant on the Braxtons not having someone else close to the investigation informing them about her cover being blown. Watson knew the Braxtons had someone higher up in the Force on the payroll that had helped to make sure she was noticed by the right people and she had her suspicions as to who it was, but she, like others, were deliberately kept in the dark over certain matters, because the less they knew of each other, the less chance of all of them being brought down should one of them get busted. Steph didn't count. She wasn't one of Brax's, she was just an opportunist willing to do the odd favour here and there for certain favours in return. Watson couldn't worry about that now. She just needed to focus on her current task; catching up to those bitches. She just hoped she got to them before the meeting that Parish arranged, happened.

"Thanks for the heads up," Watson said. "What about you, are you going to be ok, Steph?"

"I'll be fine," she replied. "No one ever knew about our little dalliances and even if they do ask about any recent contact, I'll just say that I was just doing my job in fulfilling an officer's request for information," Steph said. "I mean, how was I to know you were persona non grata when they never issued a warning to us?"

Watson chuckled, easily picturing the look on her former lover's face. Steph played the sweet innocent well and if anyone could draw their eyes above her chest, they'd see the most honest face possible.

"You're the best, Steph," said Watson. "I really am going to owe you after this."

"Damn right you will, Georgie Girl," she said. "You already owe me the restaurant tab, so don't even think having people on your arse is going to stop me from collecting."

"I always pay my debts."

"Start with staying alive, Georgie Girl," said Steph. "You can be a pain in the arse, but I happen to care about you."

"I'll be fine," she assured her. "I gotta go. Thanks again for the heads up."

"I'll let you know if I hear anything else."

"Thanks."

* * *

Joey didn't even have anywhere to run, having been turned around during their fight, so that Angelo was once more between her and the alley exit. Time was running out. There was no way to reach the knife before Angelo got a shot off and she still couldn't see where the other gun had landed. All she had on her that could even be remotely considered as a weapon, was the pen in her pocket. A pen verses a gun? She sure as shit hated those odds. It appeared however that it was her only option.

"Hey, keep your hands out of your pocket," Angelo said when Joey's hand edged closer to it.

"Since you're going to kill me, can I at least have a last puff of smoke?" she said, making sure her tone was one of utter defeat.

"I don't have time for this shit anymore," Angelo sneered.

"One puff, that's fair, isn't it?"

"What the hell are you on about?"

The delay had worked, as had the distraction and the moment Angelo had focused on her face instead of her hand, her fingers grasped the pen. In one movement, she squatted and threw it as hard as she could. It spun through the air, finding its target with unerring accuracy. Angelo screamed and bent over in agony, the pen protruding from his left eye.

"Huh, the pen really is mightier than the sword," Joey couldn't resist quipping.

"Ow, you fucking bitch, I'm going to fucking kill you."

"Write a letter of complaint to my employer," Joey said. "I'm sure you can find a pen close to hand," she added with a snigger, then she went silent. Even handicapped with one injured hand and now one eye, Angelo still held the gun tightly in his other hand and so Joey still had a problem. If he started to fire randomly, she could find herself on the receiving end of a stray bullet. Her best chance was to get as close to the wall as possible and stick to the shadows, hoping that his vision impediment worked even more in her favour now. "Fuck," she muttered. She'd found the other gun with her foot and the noise it made as it skittered across the ground, told Angelo were to find her and he started firing in that direction. She immediately dropped to the ground, the bullets striking the wall and showering her with brick fragments as the gunshots echoed in the confines of the alley. Nothing like telling the cops where to find us you dickhead, she thought as she reached for the gun she'd just inadvertently kicked away. He stopped firing and she figured he had a couple of bullets left in the mag. She picked up the gun and pointed it at him.

"I'll kill you bitch if it's the last thing I do."

"Think again," she said and pulled the trigger. "Fuck," she cursed when the gun jammed. Angelo smiled through the pain he was feeling and walked in her direction. She knew the shadows no longer protected her.

"This really is goodbye," he said. From this distance, he couldn't miss.

"Ah, excuse me," a voice said behind Angelo. He turned in surprise, only to be met by Charlie's fist to his face. He staggered backwards. "You look like shit," Charlie said, before finishing him off with a stunning roundhouse kick that connected to the side of his head and left him in an unconscious heap on the ground.

"Come on, the cops will be on their way after those shots," Joey said as she collected both guns before Charlie could.

"What about him?" Charlie said, nudging Angelo's prone body with her foot.

* * *

"I had no idea how long I should wait for you, but I got worried when I started hearing noises in the dark and you still weren't there, so I decided to double back to find you," Charlie explained as they made their way to where their car was hidden as quickly and as stealthily as possible. "The cops were searching the area where you shot Angelo, but I was able to keep out of their sight and make my way up the street where I last saw you heading," she said. "I just kept going, hoping I'd hear something and I did. I heard you two and what was obviously a fight going on, so I tried to get as close as I could without alerting Angelo to my presence."

"Well, you have good timing, that's for sure," said Joey. She glanced at Charlie. "Thanks for the rescue."

"From what I saw, looks like you were doing pretty well on your own," Charlie said. "You really know how to handle yourself." The accusation hung in the air between them.

"We really should get out of town before the cops widen their search area," Joey said as they reached the car. Without any further word, she unlocked the door and got in. Charlie decided to let the matter drop for the moment, since they had other more pressing matters to deal with, like getting the hell out of here, but she knew she could no longer put it off. She had to know who Joey really was and she would. Tonight, she'd make sure of it. Charlie patted her jeans pocket as she walked around to the passenger side of the car. She'd picked it up when Joey hadn't been looking. It was uncomfortable in her pocket, but in light of recent events, Charlie felt a little safer armed with Angelo's flick blade as she hopped into the car.


	19. Chapter 19

"He's pretty bruised and battered," the doctor informed Nick.

"He'll be more than that when I'm through with him," Nick fumed under his breath. When the call had come in that a police officer had been found handcuffed and unconscious in an alley in some small town, Nick had feared for Charlie, until they said it was a man. What had come next had disappointed, then infuriated Nick.

"His wrist is broken, his nose is swollen, but that's pretty mild to his other injury," the doctor was telling him. "The injury to his eye is extensive and it's likely he'll lose the eye," he said. "We'll know more once we've operated on him."

"Is he up to questioning first?"

"No," replied the doctor. "His blood results came back positive for stimulants which could impair his judgement, not to mention that he's been sedated for the pain."

"Too bad, because I'm talking to him," Nick informed the doctor and held up his hand to ward off any protest. "I'm family," he said. "Angelo is my brother-in-law and my wife is worried about him." Not a lie. Lucinda was worried about her brother, both for his health and for his future, which would include jail time if Nick had anything to do with it.

"Well, if you're family," the doctor hesitantly said. "Just don't get him too upset and don't be too long. I won't have you delaying his surgery."

Nick nodded, then glared into the room the moment the doctor was gone.

"This is the man you trusted to bring in my witness and your officer?" Robertson snidely said when he joined Nick. Right at that moment, Nick wished Graves was here so he wouldn't have to deal directly with Robertson, but she was still out there, hopefully picking up Charlie's trail.

"Angelo was a mistake I won't be making again," he replied.

"Your officer made a bit of a mess of him."

"It wasn't just Charlie who did this to him," Nick said. "It was your bloody witness," he said. "Who the fuck is she?"

"Why don't we ask our would-be assassin, since he probably knows more about what is going on than we currently do."

Nick was still having a hard time dealing with Angelo being dirty, but he'd all but admitted to it in his own words. Sure, he'd been out of it when he'd rambled in his semi-conscious state to a couple of officers and ambos at the scene, but given his state at the time, they'd be unable to use it against him in court. The rest they could use though. The crime scene, once it was processed, would tell them more, as did the non police issue illegal bulletproof vest he was wearing, not to mention the other firearms they'd found in the boot of his car. All unregistered, illegal weapons that could only have come from the black market. Then there were the drugs. Word was, the Braxtons didn't like their employees sampling the goods, only peddling it, but the Pirovics weren't so fussy. How long had Angelo been doing drugs? There were times when undercover cops had to prove themselves by taking drugs under the watchful eye of others, but Nick didn't think that was the case here. Angelo was a pill popper.

"Damn you boy," he said. He'd sent Angelo because as family, he believed he was the only one he could trust. He wouldn't make that mistake again. Family or not, Angelo had betrayed the uniform and Nick wanted answers as to why and he wanted them now.

* * *

With the town and Angelo now well into the distance behind them, Joey pulled into the next servo they came to. She wasn't too worried about stopping, as long as they didn't stick around for too long. There'd been nothing on the news about a manhunt for two women, despite Angelo being found and hospitalised. Nor had there been anything said about Angelo being dirty. Joey assumed the cops were trying to keep it all hush hush as much as possible, which definitely played in their favour. The last thing they needed was to have their photos all across the media, because their best chance of getting through this was by staying under the radar. How long that would last, especially after what they did to Angelo, she didn't know, but she was determined to make the most of it while it lasted.

She glanced across the car to her passenger. Charlie had been largely silent since their encounter with Angelo and she knew the other woman had questions. Who wouldn't after what had happened tonight. She just wasn't sure if she could answer them. Or more to the point, if she wanted to answer them. There were some things Charlie was just better off not knowing.

"There's a diner across the road that still looks like it's open," Joey said. "You want to go order us some food while I fill up the tank?"

"Sure," Charlie murmured.

"I'll meet you over there when I'm done."

* * *

"I hope Rosetta becomes more cooperative when he realises just how deep the shit he's in," Robertson said after Angelo had refused to talk and had asked for a lawyer.

"I'm sure he's fully aware of that," Nick said. He'd momentarily been tempted to ignore his request for a lawyer, but the last thing this investigation needed, was a senior cop ignoring procedure. He'd done enough of that already.

"Did you know?"

"Know what?"

In reply, Robertson handed Nick a bunch of photos. "We printed these from Rosetta's phone," Robertson told him.

Nick shook his head as he perused a series of explicit selfies. The same two people were in each photo and there was no mistaking what they were doing or how much both were obviously enjoying it.

"So, did you know he was gay?" Robertson asked.

"He's bi, has been since he was in High School," Nick said.

"You do know who the other man is, don't you?"

"Yeah, unfortunately I do," Nick said with a sigh.

"Hammer, aka, Harmon Pirovic and your boy definitely looks very into him," Robertson said and Nick scowled at the double meaning. "I realise that in order to fit in, undercover officers sometime have to partake in drugs and even seduction if necessary, but these photos suggest it's a little more than Rosetta just playing a part."

"Fuck," Nick muttered.

"Your boy was turned, as to how long ago it happened, who knows, but any information he's fed the Drug Squad during his time undercover is going to have to come under renewed scrutiny."

"I honestly had no idea," Nick said.

"You're not the only one with egg on your face over his betrayal," Robertson told him. "You trusted family, I guess I can't really fault you on that, but his handler at the DS on the other hand, will have some explaining to do as to why he didn't pick this up earlier. Now, I'm not suggesting he is in on it with Rosetta, because Rosetta is hardly the first undercover to decide that he likes the other side better, but under the current circumstances, suspicion is going to be quick to fall on anyone at the slightest hint of impropriety."

"This is going to get a whole lot messier," Nick murmured.

"Undoubtedly," said Robertson. "Watson, now Rosetta, it's already looking bad for the Force, especially if they're just the tip of the iceberg," he said. "As it is, it's more than likely Watson had help from someone higher up to get her assigned to this particular detail."

"Have you spoken to Joyce yet?"

Robertson nodded. "He claims to have never met or even heard of Watson until her file came across his desk, along with the recommendation to replace Holden on the detail."

"Who made the recommendation?"

"Joyce thought it was Sgt Peter Baker, but on speaking to him, he no idea how that file got to Joyce."

"It had to be someone in a position to do so," Nick pointed out.

"And Joyce and Baker could still be that person, since I only have their word that it wasn't them," said Robertson. "Either way, there's going to have to be a full internal investigation and pretty much every officer who has spoken to or worked with Watson or Rosetta, will be interviewed."

"That's going to be hard to keep quiet."

"It's inevitable that this will all come out, but hopefully, we'll have your officer and my witness back by then," Robertson confidently stated. "It's actually a good thing Graves was already on her way to the rendezvous point before Rosetta was taken down, because with any luck, she is now in the best position to pick up their trail."

"Assuming Watson and anyone else who might be out there don't put two and two together and realise that an injured cop in the middle of bloody nowhere might just be connected to our wayward duo," Nick said. They'd done their best to keep the full truth of Angelo's involvement out of the press, but it had been impossible to have a complete media blackout on an injured officer, especially when reporters had already turned up to the scene before word had gotten through to him about Angelo. As it was, they'd been lucky there had been an on the ball Snr Constable present, who had quickly realised that something more was going on when Angelo had started rambling, and so had limited the number of people within hearing distance of him. "And what if they were already in the area when the news came on, then they could be well ahead of your partner."

"My, you're full of cheer today," Robertson drolly said.

"I just want this over with and without anyone else getting hurt."

"That's something we can agree on."

* * *

"Well, it was a trap," Charlie said when Joey finally joined her in the diner. She was feeling guilty. They'd lost hours with her foolish decision to meet with Nick's man and it had nearly cost them their lives. "Now you can say 'I told you so'," she grumbled to Joey.

"I'm sorry, Charlie," Joey said. "I know how much you wanted to be able to trust Nick Parish."

They weren't the words Charlie had been expecting and she stared at Joey. The woman appeared genuine.

"You look surprised," Joey said with some bemusement. "Charlie, if I'd wanted to say 'I told you so', don't you think I'd have said it when we were in the car."

Charlie sighed and shrugged her shoulders. Once more, her trust had been betrayed, but at least now she knew with 100% clarity, that Nick couldn't be trusted, in fact, no one in the Force could. So where did that leave her? Abandoned, adrift and alone with a woman who was proving to be as dangerous as anyone on their trail. And after what she saw tonight, she was glad she hadn't tried to overpower Joey the other day, because as competent as her own skills were, she doubted she could have bested Joey.

"Look Charlie, I get it, I really do," Joey said. "You had a lot of respect for the guy and you wanted to trust him and I can hardly blame you for wanting that, even if I didn't agree with it."

"Why did you come with me to the meet?" Charlie asked her. "You could have just scampered away at any time."

"Then you'd be dead," Joey pointed out, which didn't really answer her question as to why she'd come in the first place, Charlie thought.

"You're making a habit of saving my life," Charlie said. "First at the motel, then tonight."

"You also saved my arse tonight, so I'd say we make a pretty good team."

"Yeah, if tonight did prove anything, it would be that I'd likely be dead by now if I'd gone this alone," Charlie said. "And I'm the one who kept wanting to turn ourselves in."

"Charlie, you need to stop beating yourself up over this," Joey told her. "You're a cop, you're used to trusting your fellow officers every time you're on duty, so of course you wanted to trust them this time as well," she said. "It's not your fault you may be the only honest cop worth trusting."

"Does that mean you trust me now?"

"I wouldn't go that far," Joey said with a grin and Charlie found herself smiling back. "Saving my life does earn you brownie points though."

"What do we do now Joey?"

"We keep to the plan," replied Joey. "We'll take a few circular paths for another day or so and hopefully lose anyone else following us, then we head straight to our destination."

"Do you think it safe to stay in one place too long?"

"Probably not, but we can't just keep driving around aimlessly," she said. "I say, once we get there, we stay a few days so we can at least have time to formulate a more permanent plan."

Charlie had a feeling that permanent for Joey, meant disappearing for good and while she couldn't blame Joey for wanting to do that, she wasn't yet ready to turn her back on her entire life forever.

"And in the meantime, what happens if our faces and names end up on the news, what then?" Charlie asked.

"We'll deal with that if it comes to it," Joey confidently said. She felt on much safer ground now after her earlier fuck up. She still couldn't believe she'd made such a simple, yet dangerous mistake in getting separated from Charlie, but she was determined not to make the same mistake twice, not now that her head was back in the game. "How are your hands?" she asked when she noticed Charlie was rubbing one with her other hand. "You landed pretty heavily on them earlier."

"No skin off the palms, thankfully, they're just a bit itchy," she replied. "And the pain in my wrists has subsided into little more than a dull ache now."

"That's good."

"Unlike Angelo's wrist," she pointedly said. "That looked painful."

"Good."

"Though he probably didn't notice, on account of you sticking a pen in his eye," Charlie said and her tone had Joey looking Charlie in the eye. She'd wondered how long it would take for Charlie to get to here.

"My life was in danger, I reacted," Joey said as casually as she could. "Hey, we should probably get back on the road as soon as possible."

"Who are you Joey?" Charlie suddenly asked. "Because there is a lot more to you than I ever expected," she said. "Like how you can handle yourself in a fight and the way you grouped those shots, that was done just like a pro."

"Not here," Joey hissed and Charlie looked around. There were a few other customers, but none within hearing distance.

"I need to know Joey," Charlie hissed back. "And we're not leaving this diner until I get some answers."

* * *

Watson smiled as she switched off the news. So, it seemed the dynamic duo had taken down Parish's man, but it was more about what wasn't being said over the radio, that interested Watson. There was no mention of the two women, but she knew it had to be them, nor why Angelo Rosetta had been there at that time of night, which told her that Parish and co were still trying to keep a lid on things. That was good news, at least for the moment. While her cover was blown with Parish, she hadn't heard from Heath or the others, which she took to mean that her cover was still in place with them at least, and until her duplicity was more publically known, then she still had a chance to do what needed to be done, as long as she was careful to avoid fellow officers from now on. It was why she'd completely bypassed the town where Rosetta had been attacked, since that place would have been crawling with cops and reporters, making it far too risky to go anywhere near, so she'd driven right past it and kept on going.

Watson chuckled at that and sent a silent thank you to Nick. She had no idea how he'd managed to arrange it, but by delaying Charlie and Joey with that meeting, it had given her the perfect opportunity to shorten the gap between her and her quarry and going by the time of the incident with Rosetta, she wasn't far behind them now. If her luck kept up like this, Joey and Charlie would land on her lap in no time.

Her eyes lit up at the sight of the diner and her stomach grumbled in anticipation when she saw that it was still open. It wouldn't hurt to stop to eat and get a coffee fix, she decided as she pulled into the nearest parking bay.


	20. Chapter 20

"Sure Heath," Watson said as he hung up on her. She smirked. He'd made no indication of being aware of her cover being blown, instead, he'd been more pissed at Rosetta for fucking up, because he was apparently one of Pirovic's men and had been sent to take those two women out as a favour to Brax. While that titbit had surprised her, she was doubly glad now that he'd failed, as killing those bitches was her task and now that she had the connection, she reckoned she could place Rosetta, only he'd been known as Angelo Cabrini. She'd never met him personally, but Heath and Brax were always making crude jokes about Hammer and his lapdog. So, Hammer's fuck buddy was a cop. Knowing Hammer, he must have loved pulling his strings as much as he loved pulling his cock.

Ignoring the no smoking sign pinned to the wall right next to her and the glare of the other diner patrons, Watson lit her cigarette. She'd decided to stick with the uniform, at least until her face was all over the press, but had decided to dispense with her nametag before she walked into the diner and now she stared back at the other customers, as if daring any of them to say something.

"Ah, excuse me officer, but this is a no smoking establishment."

Watson eyed off the woman who had just spoken. She was ethnic, Greek she guessed and she was cute, wedding ring and all, not that that would ever stop her. Watson looked at the waitress' nametag, letting her eyes linger a little lower for a moment, then caught her eyes. She smiled at her. "Sorry Leah, it's been a long drive and I just needed to relax."

"I'm sorry but you're going to have to put it out or take it outside."

The woman had guts, of which she approved and after drawing a long puff on her smoke, Watson tossed it into the drink of the patron sitting at the next table.

"Hey!" he objected.

"Hey what?" she challenged.

"Nothing," he replied and muttered under his breath, "Fucking cops think they can get away with everything."

"I'll get you a new one, Frank," Leah told him.

"Tell me Leah, what do you recommend here?" Watson asked in a sugary sweet voice.

"Today's special is a good one."

"I'll have that then," she said with a wink at Leah who blushed in response. "Oh, before you go, I was wondering if you could help me. I'm looking for this woman," Watson said and showed a picture of Joey to Leah. "She may have witnessed a serious crime and I really need to talk to her, but I haven't been able to get a hold of her. She was probably travelling with a woman, a good looking sort with stunning blue eyes."

"Oh, yeah, they were here earlier," Leah said. "Things looked a little tense between them when they left."

Watson couldn't help but smile. She'd found this lead purely by chance and because of her hungry stomach. Even better, if there was tension between them, it may cause them to make a mistake.

"Do you know how long ago that was?"

"Sorry, I've been rushed off my feet most of the night, so I wasn't really paying attention to the time," replied Leah.

"Damn," she muttered.

"Sorry, I wish I could be of more help," Leah said. "I'll get your order now."

* * *

With a firm promise from Joey to answer her questions, Charlie had agreed to leave the diner and get back onto the road before Joey said anything further. Only once in the car, nothing more had been said between them for the first hour or so. That was her own fault, because she'd suddenly become unsure how exactly to tackle this. It was all very well to want answers, but first the questions had to be asked and she'd suddenly found herself tongue-tied. Why was this so hard? _Ah,_ _maybe because Joey has two guns and knew how to use them,_ came the small voice in her head. Oh shut up, she told that annoying voice. And it wasn't like she herself was unarmed. She still had Angelo's knife safely hidden and while a knife would be useless against a gun, she still held the element of surprise. Ok, so you're armed and have been banging on for ages about wanting to know who the hell Joey was, so just ask the fucking questions. Satisfied she was now motivated enough, Charlie asked the first question that came to mind.

"Well?" Charlie said. Wow, very hard-hitting question right there, she thought drolly. At least it was short, to the point and blunt, as was her usual way. When she wasn't tongue-tied, that is.

"Well what?" Joey said, a small smile tugging at her lips. "If you want to know something Charlie, just spit it out."

"You know how to fight."

"I do ok."

"You do more than ok," she said. "You held your own against a much stronger opponent."

"Yeah, but he was easily distracted and let his emotions get the better of him, so he made mistakes, which played in my favour and helped to counter his strength," Joey told her. "The guy underestimated me."

"I'd definitely agree that he underestimated you," Charlie said. "Your fighting style is that of someone who knows how to fight, which I'm sure surprised the hell out of him."

"I learnt to defend myself at an early age, nothing wrong with that," she said.

"And the pen?" said Charlie. "Do you think it normal to jab a pen into someone's eye without any fuss?"

"I didn't jab it, I threw it," Joey told her. "There is a difference."

"Does it matter?" she countered. "You still put a pen into another person's eye without a hint of remorse."

"I'm just trying to be accurate, since you're so interested in wanting the truth," replied Joey. "And let's not forget that Angelo wanted me dead, he wanted us both dead," she said. "Charlie, I was fighting for my life and the pen was all I had. It was either him or me and you would have done the same."

"Probably," Charlie conceded. "Doubt I would have had the skill to hit such a small target though."

"You're assuming I was aiming for his eye."

"Were you?"

"I was aiming for a chance to get the upper hand."

"That didn't really answer my question."

"Charlie, I threw the bloody pen ok, does it really matter if I hit what I was aiming for or if it was just a lucky throw?"

"Yes, it does," argued Charlie. "One is pot luck, while the other demonstrates yet another skill you've hidden from me until now."

"Okay, fair enough. Was I specifically aiming for his eye?" said Joey. "No. I had a split second to react and that's what I did," she explained. "I admit, I was going for his face though, because I was hoping that he'd either react by ducking out of the way, giving me time to make another move or the pen would connect, allowing the same to happen. Either way, I was just looking for a chance to turn the tables on him any way I could."

"Ok, I can understand that," Charlie reasonably said. "And maybe hitting his eye with a pen was flukey, but those three shots to Angelo's chest, that was nothing to do with luck and everything to do with skill," she said. "Not only have you looked extremely confident and comfortable holding a gun in your hand, that grouping of shots on Angelo was the mark of a pro."

"A pro in that I've had some training with guns," Joey admitted. "I had a foster dad who used to go out duck hunting and he used to take me with him. He also used to take me to a shooting range to shoot with a handgun."

"What sort of foster father does that?"

"One who didn't discriminate based on gender," replied Joey. "Look, he had an interest and one day I asked him if he'd take me with him and he said yes. I appreciated it, because he was the first foster parent I had who was actually happy to include me in something he enjoyed doing, beyond taking the weekly paycheque from the department, that is."

Charlie knew Joey had grown up in foster care and had been moved from home to home, so it was plausible that she saw a chance to share an interest as a way to belong. However, shooting ducks or stationary targets was a lot different to shooting another human being and she had done so without hesitation. Then again, Joey had shot Angelo in order to save her life, which could have been the spur Joey needed to act. Problem was, Charlie wasn't quite sure what to believe just yet.

"Ok, so fine, your foster dad taught you how to use a gun," said Charlie. "Did he also have a hand in teaching you the other skills as well?"

"Such as?"

"Stealing," replied Charlie. "You have no qualms in stealing someone's car."

"Nope, I don't."

"Or breaking and entering."

"We needed petrol and if that servo had been open like they were meant to be, then there wouldn't have been any need to break in."

"That's not the point," Charlie said. "It's that you have no problem breaking into someone else's property, not to mention that picking that lock was child's play to you."

"So I'm not Little Miss Vanilla," said Joey.

"No, you're definitely not that," she said. "You steal, pick locks and lie, all with absolute ease. That car salesman and the B&B owner, you had them eating out of your hand, which tells me you're very adept at deception as well."

Joey shrugged in reply.

"You're a criminal," Charlie stated.

"That's a bit harsh."

"Am I wrong?"

"Depends on which side you're on."

"There it is again," complained Charlie. "Being a smartarse and making light of it when I'm trying to be serious."

"Sorry, it's a reflex reaction."

"It seriously pisses me off."

"Sorry."

Charlie glared at her, then she relaxed a little when Joey's apology seemed genuine.

"Then there's that credit card you used to buy the car," Charlie continued on. "Your name wasn't on it."

"No, it wasn't."

"You denied stealing it, so why then do you have a card with someone else's name on it?" she asked. "Do you use a fake name because the money in that account is stolen?"

"Charlie, I may be many things, but I'm not a thief," Joey said, to which Charlie snorted. "Ok, I'll rephrase that. I may occasionally borrow other people's property in a time of need, but I have never stolen anything with the sole purpose of keeping it for monetary gain."

"Then where did that card and the money come from?"

"Work."

"What exactly do you do, because odd jobs around the docks doesn't really fit in with what I'm starting to learn about you."

"Really, because I really do work odd jobs on the docks."

"Are they legal?"

"As far as I'm aware, they are."

"The Braxtons have business interests on the docks, any of it involve you?"

"I work for a lot of people down there," Joey said.

"Including the Braxtons?" Charlie persisted. She really wished they'd had time to do a more thorough background check on Joey's work habits before the shit hit the fan.

"Charlie, I really don't look that hard into the owners of the boats and warehouses down there, because it's the foremen, captains and other workers that I deal directly with."

"So you could be a Braxton employee," said Charlie. "Same as Watson. Did you know about her?"

"I say with absolute truthfulness, that the first time I ever heard of or met Watson, was at the same time I met you," she said.

"I'm not one for believing in coincidences," said Charlie. "You're connected to the docks where the Braxtons have interests and you could very well work for them, whether you realise it or not. Then we have you fleeing the scene of a murder in which the Braxtons are the main, no, the only suspects," she said and then it hit her. Joey was good with guns, she was fleeing the scene. Charlie's eyes widened in sudden horror. "Oh my god, did you kill Harvey Ryan!"

* * *

Watson yawned as she headed back to her car. Yawning was becoming a habit lately and she knew her body was telling her to get some rest. She hated the idea of Joey and Charlie putting more distance between them, but she needed a break from driving and chances were, her prey was already shacked up somewhere for the night, so she shouldn't lose too much time catching up on some sleep. Besides, they'd already bested her once and now that they'd taken care of Pirovic's man, she knew she'd need to be at the top of her game and not half asleep, when it came time to confront them.

"Come here bitch!"

Watson spun around.


	21. Chapter 21

_"Come here bitch!"_

 _Watson spun around_

The car park was deserted and the diner was dark, Leah having closed up behind her.

"Leave me alone!" The cry had come from the other side of the diner. Without thought, Watson ran toward the commotion, where she found Leah being pushed across the hood of a car by a man who was trying to hike up her dress.

"You're going to love what I have for you bitch," the man hissed.

"Get off me!"

"Getting off is exactly what I'm after," he sniggered, crushing his lips to hers to cut off any further screams as she continued to struggle against him. "That's it, squirm baby," he taunted. "The more, the better." The sound of a zipper froze Leah and she felt him hard against her leg.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

He whirled around at the interruption, his dick still in his hand.

Watson laughed. "Geez, that must be like fucking someone with a pencil, pencil dick."

"I'll show you how I fuck with it, cunt," he snapped.

"Run along Leah, I'll take care of him," Watson calmly said as if she wasn't facing a would-be rapist. Leah slid off the car and hesitated. "It's ok Leah, he won't hurt you or me." Leah wavered a moment longer, before taking off. "Now, what should I do with you, pencil dick?"

* * *

Charlie tried to focus on the road and ignore the sounds coming from the seat next to her. She'd heard those same noise numerous times and knew exactly what it meant. It was the sound of a trigger being pulled. Charlie spared a quick gaze to her left, just in time to see Joey casting an experienced eye over the gun which had jammed on her earlier that night. Joey pulled the trigger again and Charlie barely stopped herself from flinching. While Joey's confession about having had gun training had merely reinforced what Charlie had already begun to suspect about her, it also made her more nervous, because sitting next to her, holding the gun, was a woman who could beat her up with her bare hands or shoot her three times in the heart without missing. It was scary and the only thing preventing Charlie from bolting, was that so far, Joey seemed on her side. How long would that last?

"There's a sign for a motel coming up," Charlie said, shattering the silence within the car and distracting herself from answering her own question. "I could really do with some sleep." Yeah, like that's going to come easily.

"I'd rather we put a bit more distance between us and all of those cops back there."

"We can't just keep driving," Charlie said. "We both need some sleep."

Satisfied it was back in working order, Joey snapped the magazine back into the gun and this time, Charlie did flinch.

"You're right," said Joey. "I think we should avoid staying in motels from now on though. The cops will probably be looking all over for us, so best not to leave too much of a trail for them to pick up," she explained. "Same goes for when we stop for food and petrol. We should just get what we need and then leave without arousing too much notice."

"So where do we sleep then?"

"I'm ok sleeping in the car," she said.

"Same here," Charlie admitted. She'd had plenty of practice on the job, though she suspected this might be the most uncomfortable ever and that was all due to whom she was sharing the car with.

"Look for an off road exit or somewhere to pull over that's out of sight of the road," Joey suggested. She reached up and Charlie's hands gripped the steering wheel even tighter. Charlie relaxed them only slightly when Joey turned off the overhead light. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

A short time later, Watson came across a familiar figure walking on the side of the road. She slowed her car and wound down the window. "Can I give you a lift?" she called out.

Leah nodded gratefully and hopped into the car. She'd never felt so nervous or scared in walking home. This town had always been so safe, but after tonight, she was damn well going to be driving to work.

"Thank you," she said to the officer. "For the lift and for before."

"Thanking me is not necessary."

"You saved me from being raped, so saying thank you is the very least I can do."

"I was just doing my job."

"I'm just glad you were there," Leah told her. "Shouldn't I make a statement or something now?"

"I've taken care of him for tonight, but you can come by the station tomorrow and make your statement then." When I'm well out of the picture. "Where do you live?."

"Take the next right," Leah said.

"Is your husband home?" The last thing she needed was to have to explain herself to another person.

"No, Zac's a truckie and he's on a long haul till the end of the week," she replied.

"Must be lonely having him gone for days at a time."

"It is, but he earns good money, so it's worth it," Leah told her.

"That's good," Watson said conversationally. "Hey, can you recommend a good motel in town for the night?"

* * *

Charlie stared at the stars through the windscreen. Parked behind the cover of bushes somewhere off the beaten track, Joey was already asleep, yet sleep continued to elude her. There was too much going on in her head to relax. Not just Joey's gun skills, it was all of it. The confessions and the denial. Joey had flat out denied killing Harvey Ryan and she'd seemed convincing enough, but then this was a woman who lied easily, so could she believe Joey? She desperately wanted to, because the alternative didn't bare thinking. It was bad enough that Joey was a thief and a burglar, but a cold-blooded killer was an entirely different proposition. There was also every reason for Joey to deny it and even if she was being truthful, there was still the other problem. In denying her involvement in Ryan's death, Joey had once again skirted around why she had actually been there that night. In her original statement, Joey had claimed she'd heard a shot just as she'd rounded the corner and saw a man with a gun, yet now with everything that had happened since then, Charlie couldn't help but feel that there was much more to it than that.

While Charlie struggled with her thoughts, her pursuers were having differing fortunes for the night.

* * *

"Yes, yes, oh my god, oh my god," Leah shouted. She still wasn't sure how this had happened. Not wanting to be alone when she'd gotten home and to thank the other woman further for her timely intervention, Leah had invited her in for a drink, then somewhere along the way, she'd gone from sipping her drink to throwing herself at a woman she barely knew. It was as if all the fear and anxiety she'd felt from the attempted rape, had coalesced into this burning sexual need and this woman just happened to be there when it hit. And boy, how this woman was doing everything to make her forget the nightmare of that man's hands on her. Leah had never been with a woman before, and one who clearly knew what she was doing, first with her hands and mouth and now with a rubber cock.

Leah gripped the headboard of her bed harder as the police officer continued to pound into her from behind. For a rubber cock, it felt wonderful and oh so much bigger than her husband's cock. She could feel every glorious inch as it slid deep, then slid out, then slid in deep, again and again. It had been a joke present for her engagement party and had sat in the box untouched for the last five years of her marriage, but if she'd known it felt this wonderful, she'd have been using it on herself so much earlier.

"Oh yes, oh yes, so hard, oh yes, it's so fucking good, oh so good," she moaned loudly, oblivious to the noises she was making as the headboard banged against the wall with the power of each thrust.

* * *

Charlie tossed and turned again, her thoughts unable to move past that night. Joey had obviously seen enough to provide an accurate description of a known associate of the Braxtons, in Penn Graham, so just how close had she really been to the murder and had she seen more than she'd admitted to in her statement? Charlie could have asked a few more questions, but she wasn't confident in getting an honest answer. No, that wasn't entirely fair. As far as she could tell, Joey had answered the questions honestly when she'd asked her tonight, it was just that Charlie wasn't convinced it was the whole truth. Joey was adept at deceiving people, so it'd be easy enough for her to answer a question with enough truth to be believable, while still keeping further relevant information to herself. Charlie's problem now was, how to discern when Joey was being 100% truthful, to when she was being just honest enough while not being totally upfront. Truth was, she just couldn't be completely sure, with any of it, which made their current situation incredibly tricky and uncomfortable. Here she was, stuck in a car with a criminal, one who lied at will, stole, could fight hand-to-hand and most important of all, could shoot and shoot well, yet in spite of her doubts and continued suspicions, a part of Charlie found herself trusting Joey. Not completely, of course, because it's impossible to totally trust someone you know is keeping something important from you, but twice now, Joey had come through for her and saved her life when she could easily have done nothing, and for Charlie, that earned her some trust. Sure, Joey's only way out of that motel room had been to disable Watson first, but she could have sat back and waited until after Watson had offed her. Instead, she'd knocked out Watson, then freed her from her embarrassing position on the bed. Then, there was tonight. Angelo had been seconds away from killing her, of that Charlie had no doubt and if not for the actions of Joey, she'd be dead. And even though it was obvious to her that Joey had ulterior motives for why she did what she did, and while she may have saved Joey's life in return, part of Charlie still felt as if she owed Joey, and as unwilling as she was to admit it before, sticking together was working. So far.

* * *

"Oh my god, you're so fucking deep I can taste you in my mouth," Leah cried out in ecstasy. She was lying on her back with her legs straight up in the air as Watson continued to plunder her most intimate depths. Her stamina was amazing.

* * *

Graves sent off the email detailing everything she'd obtained from the officers and the scene from where Angelo had been found, then shut down her computer. It was late and she was tired. Her eyes glanced toward the other bed. The motel had been booked out except for one room, so she and Dex were forced to share. At least it was a twin bed, not a double, but she was still reluctant to go to sleep. She'd never slept in a room with a man before. She wasn't a virgin by any means, but her encounters were usually a quick fumble in the sack, then back into her clothes. She'd never even let a lover into her own bed, it was always their bed or a car or even a toilet cubicle, just so she could make a quick getaway. Sex had never been a big factor in her life, it was just something she occasionally liked to do with the latest random guy to relieve some tension, and she'd yet to meet a man who made her wish for anything different. Until now.

Dex was an odd one, so different to anyone else she'd worked with or even known before. He was nice though. He was funny. He was goofy and oh god, she couldn't stop thinking about him in a way she really shouldn't be. There was only two years between them age wise, but professionally, she was well ahead of him and outranked him, so she really shouldn't be imagining what that cute goofball was like in bed. Stop it, she told herself. The last thing she needed was to have those thoughts in her head when it came time to sleep. Oh fuck, she hoped she didn't talk in her sleep.

* * *

"This is the place," Tegan said as the town came into view.

"Pity they're long gone by now," said Hayley.

"At least we're closer than we were before," Tegan pointed out. "Just think baby, it's only a matter of time now, before we're filleting that lovely copper's flesh."

"I love it when you talk like that," Hayley said. "Pull over," she ordered. "I need to fuck you right now."

Grinning, Tegan didn't hesitate and in a matter of seconds, the car was on the side of the road and her girlfriend's top and bra was tossed into the backseat. Hiking up her skirt, Hayley manoeuvred herself over her girlfriend's lap. Tegan smirked when she found Hayley wet to her touch. Pushing her undies to the side, Tegan thrust her fingers inside her.

"Oh baby, I love your hands," Hayley cried, her hips working furiously against her hand. With her free hand, Tegan flipped on the inside car light. Anyone driving by would get a good view of Hayley's tits as she bounced up and down on her hand. She loved public sex almost as much as sex after violence. Tegan latched onto one of the bouncing breasts, sucking hard and imagining the mind-blowing sex the two of them would have when this was all over.

* * *

Yet another thought had Charlie thinking back to that night when Harvey Ryan was murdered. Joey had placed two of the Braxton brothers within the vicinity of the murder. Would she really have done that if she worked for them? She could understand naming a couple of Braxton associates, but actually placing two Braxtons in the vicinity of a murder was a pretty ballsy move for anyone to make. Charlie sighed. It would be nice to conclude that as proof Joey wasn't also a Braxton associate, but it would be remiss of Charlie to ever underestimate Joey again. She'd seen for herself how the woman lied and told people what they wanted to hear and that night may have been no different.

So what if Joey was an employee, then when she got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, she decided to play the witness in order to protect herself. Charlie couldn't forget that Joey had kept that credit card hidden, even after they'd explained why they'd confiscated all her cards, or so they thought, and her cash, yet Joey had kept one hidden. Why would she do that unless she planned to use it? Had she just been waiting for the right moment to make a run for it? She'd had plenty of those moments, Charlie reminded herself. That was after it had all gone to shit though, but what about when it was the three of them and there was no hint of what was to come? And why the fuck are you doing this to yourself, Charlie? One minute you say a part of you trusts her, then you look for a reason not to.

* * *

"Oh fuck, that's so good," Leah groaned as she sat straddled across Watson's lap, with her back to her, so that every time she raised her hips to lift herself off the cock, then sat down on it again, she could feel the other woman's breasts rubbing against her back. The hard nipples, along with the hard cock buried deep inside her was a wonderful combination, only bettered when her lover reached around to cup her breasts and squeeze in time to her movements. Leah felt that familiar tingling and her pace quickened, wanting to reach that climax yet again.

* * *

"You stupid bastard," Pee Wee said for the hundredth time since they'd run out of petrol. All Brodie had to do was fill up the tank while he went and got a navigation system for the car, but even that was too hard for his idiot friend. Chatting up women is what he'd been doing instead. Pee Wee couldn't blame Brodie, the women had been hot, but fuck it, he could have chatted them up after he'd filled the fucking tank, then they wouldn't be stuck in the middle of fucking nowhere with no other car in sight.

"Fucking hell Brodie," he complained when Brodie farted. He was going to kill him before this was over.

* * *

Casey sighed heavily. Stu hadn't come back to the hotel room, so he must have scored it with that chick he'd been flirting with at the bar. At least that would keep Stu out for the night and allowed Casey to have some time alone. He was sick of this. He was sick of the driving, sick of the constant updates from Heath, most of all, he was sick of being stuck in this situation just because he was a Braxton. He was about to be a father, what sort of example was he setting for his kid? Brax might think this was ok, but more and more, Casey was feeling completely at odds with his siblings. What could he do about it though?

He didn't want to abandon his kid. Part of him was actually looking forward to being a father. It was Denny that was the problem. He could barely stand her and he'd long suspected she'd deliberately gotten pregnant to him as a way to secure her future. The Braxtons had money, she wanted it and she'd used him to get exactly what she wanted.

"It's your own fault," he said into the empty room. At the end of the day, he could have said no to her advances, but he'd wanted to have sex and now he had to live with the consequences. How different his life could have been if only he'd been born with a different surname.

* * *

"Oh yes," Leah sighed. She lay on her side, facing Watson, her leg hooked over hip, their nipples lightly brushing against each other as Watson slowly thrust in and out of her. Frantic had been wonderful, but as they kissed, she realised that slow and loving was beautiful as well. She never wanted this to end.

* * *

Charlie was still mulling it over. Joey could be working for the Braxtons by choice, or, on the other hand, she might be without even realising it. It kinda made sense that Joey wouldn't know the name of her employer, as not everyone always did, especially if you worked odd jobs and picked up work here and there. There were a lot of jobs where you might not know the names of those at the top of the food chain or where you just didn't care enough to find out. After all, for some people, work was just a paycheque and it was the manager or supervisor you dealt with day to day, not the owners, so who cared about the rest, as long as the money is in the bank when it's meant to be, so it was possible for Joey to be connected to the Braxtons without even realising it. There was also the possibility that Joey had no previous connection to the Braxtons before that night at all. Charlie shook her head. That was back to this all being one coincidence after another, which she wasn't buying in to. So what was the whole truth? She didn't know, but the one thing Charlie was certain of, was that Joey was still keeping things from her.

* * *

"Fuck, that was so amazing," Leah breathed reverently as she came down from her latest orgasm and finally settled next to Watson. "I just realised, I never even got your name."

"Just call me 'oh my god'."

Leah chuckled and rested her head on Watson's shoulder. She sighed happily when the woman put her arm along her back, holding her close and kissed the top of her head. Leah closed her eyes, feeling safe.

* * *

Oh my god Charlie, you're just going around and around in circles, just like you always do with this woman. Just accept that you can't completely trust her, but you need to work with her to get through this, because your chances of survival by going on alone was a lot less than it would be by staying together.


	22. Chapter 22

Charlie yawned as she sipped her morning coffee, being careful not to spill it as Joey inadvertently drove over a pothole. It was a good thing she'd had plenty of practice in eating and drinking on the road, because Joey had been true to her word about not wanting to stay anywhere for too long, so they'd spent a total of fifteen minutes in the last town, time enough to order a takeaway breakfast and coffee and have a bathroom break. Charlie would have preferred a shower and a bit more time to freshen up, but after yesterday's disaster with Angelo had cost them so much time, she'd agreed with Joey that in and out as quickly as possible was probably the best way to go. She didn't know where or how far behind or even how many people were still after them, but she had no doubt that they were there and so the smart thing to do was to just keep putting as much distance between them as possible and if that meant being a little uncomfortable with her physical appearance, so be it. Staying alive took precedence over how her hair looked.

* * *

Leah smiled when she opened her eyes and saw the rose resting on the pillow next to her. She wasn't surprised to find herself alone. After they'd slept in each other's arms for half the night, they'd woken in the early hours of dawn and made love again and again, before she'd fallen into an exhausted, yet blissful sleep.

Leah reached over and brought the rose to her nose, allowing the scent to fill her nostrils. It was nice. She rolled onto her back, still breathing in the scent. Her body felt well used and satiated after the most amazing night of sex she'd ever experienced. She knew she should feel guilty for fucking someone in her marital bed while her husband was away, but she didn't. It wasn't like her at all and she didn't know if it was due to the fright she'd had last night or just her first time with a woman or a combination of things, she just didn't care. The sex had brought her body to life and she'd done things she'd never expected herself to do. Not in her wildest dreams had she ever thought she'd use her hands and mouth on another woman in that way, and to her surprise, she'd even brought her lover to orgasm. Multiple times.

"Oh god," she groaned, her body already in withdrawal for a woman whose name she didn't even know.

* * *

Charlie bit into her egg and bacon roll, grimacing when the fatty juices leaked down her chin. It tasted wonderful, so she wasn't too fussed about a little grease. Wiping her chin with the napkin as she chewed, Charlie spared a glance at her driver. Joey hadn't said much since she'd woken this morning and for that, Charlie was grateful, as she hadn't felt like doing a lot of talking either. She was still a bit tired, but at least she'd finally managed to get a few hours of sleep once she had firmly decided that she'd had enough of letting her thoughts get the better of her. All she'd needed to do was to accept a few things and ignore the 'what ifs' and doubts, because they weren't helpful in any way. Things had happened, there was no changing that and now it was about the future and that future, was all about staying alive.

* * *

"Prick got his just desserts," Const. Elly Handley said as she looked down at the body of a man. "This piece of trash has been going from town to town raping women," she said.

"He's only a suspected rapist," Snr Const. Frank Melvin calmly reminded her.

"He matches the description all the victims have given, and we found a collection of their underwear that he'd stolen from them after he'd raped them, in his car," she said. "He's guilty alright."

"That maybe so, but he's a victim now," Melvin pointed out.

Handley looked over his shoulder. "He's out of earshot," she said.

"Good," he replied, knowing she was referring to the journo that had been trying to get too close to the action. "So, this piece of shit bit off more than he could chew," he murmured, free now to speak his mind without it ending up all over the news.

"This could just be self defence," Handley said. "He attacked another woman and she defended herself."

"Could be," he murmured. "Though you'd then have to question her as to why she removed his pecker and then shoved it up his own arse. There's also the hood of his car. The car has dirt all over it, yet the hood is completely wiped clean of dirt and presumably, fingerprints, which suggests someone looking to cover their tracks, rather than some frightened woman fighting for her life. No, this seems more calculated."

"Revenge?"

Melvin shrugged.

"You reckon it's a local who did this?" Handley asked.

"I'm not sure," he replied. "People are stopping at this diner all the time on their way somewhere, so could easily just be a passerby who crossed his path."

"I guess we'd better find out then," Handley said in less than convincing fashion. They'd do their job, but none of them would be in any real hurry to bring the killer of a sick rapist to justice.

* * *

Her to-ing and fro-ing last night had finally settled it for Charlie. Her best chance of survival really was with Joey. Twice now, Joey had saved her life. That was more than any other partner on the Force had ever done for her. Sure, she'd never really been in a situation where her life had needed saving until this nightmare had begun, but that didn't change the fact that Joey had been there for her when she'd needed it most. It was also hard to ignore that it had been two fellow police officers who had wanted to kill her, yet it had been this woman next to her who had saved her. A woman she'd doubted and continued to doubt, even though she'd had her back in a way no one ever had. It just no longer seemed fair to keep doubting Joey like that, and while there was no denying that Joey's motives differed to hers, the end result was the same. They both wanted to stay alive and had helped the other to achieve that.

* * *

Graves eyed her partner suspiciously. He'd been grinning like an idiot all morning and she had a nasty feeling that she did talk in her sleep after all. Given her dreams last night had been rather explicit, he'd have copped an earful. Here's hoping she mentioned no names, because she couldn't bear the thought of being stuck in the car with him knowing that she fancied him.

* * *

"You choose baby," Tegan said, as they prepared to set out onto the road for the new day. "Left, right or straight ahead at the intersection."

Hayley closed her eyes, picturing the path ahead of them for a moment, before opening her eyes. She smiled at her lover. "Straight ahead," she said. "That's the direction they took, I can feel it."

"Straight ahead it is."

* * *

While Charlie still had many questions she wanted answers for in regards to who the hell Joey Collins was, she had finally come to accept that for the time being, Joey would remain an enigma of sorts to her. She would never know the full truth about her, at least not until she was in a position to do the background check herself, and since that wasn't going to be happening anytime soon, it was pointless to keep turning herself inside out about this woman and her secrets. It achieved nothing, except to erode her own confidence and she was done with that.

* * *

Watson's ears pricked up when news of the murder came over the radio. Going by that report, it sounded like Leah hadn't gone to the cops about what happened last night, and since she'd wiped down the hood of the car Leah had been pushed across, the only evidence that could lead to Leah, then to her, was gone, unless Leah spoke up of course. She still could, but Watson couldn't worry about that right now, and it's not as if they weren't already after her anyway.

Besides, as far as she was concerned, she'd performed a community service in ridding the world of that scum. Experience told her that there was no way Leah had been his first intended victim, nor would she have been the last, and if she'd had more time, she'd have made that bastard suffer further for it.

* * *

Charlie knew she'd had these little pep talks to herself before, only to later succumb to self doubts and trust issues the moment Joey revealed something new. Not this time though. She had a renewed determination to trust in herself and in her instincts. She was after all, a police officer with years of experience and knowledge to draw upon, and while this was a situation beyond her usual permit, her training had prepared her for all eventualities and so she just needed to treat this situation as such. Just trust in your instincts, she told herself, they had served her well in the past and while they may have wavered more than she'd have liked in the past few days, it was time to tune into them again and believe in them. And right now, her instincts were still telling her to trust Joey and to stick with her until this was all over.

* * *

Pee Wee fumed as their car limped into the next town. A passing farmer had happened by and given them enough petrol to make it this far, only for the suspension on their car to then desert them before they got here. He'd actually begun to feel carsick with all the rocking and feeling every bump in the road for the past half an hour.

"Fuck it, let's just go home," he muttered. "Brax can suck my fucking cock if he has a problem with it," he snapped. "I'm sick of this shit, I mean, what the hell are we meant to do. Just continue to drive around without having a clue where they are or where they're going?"

"Heath gave us their last known location."

"That's hours away because we've been going in the wrong fucking direction from the beginning," he said. "We've got no hope of closing the distance between us when we don't even know which way they left that town in."

"Well, since this car isn't capable of going any further, anytime soon, I guess we're out of the race," Brodie said and Pee Wee grinned at the perfect excuse they had. Sometimes Brodie really wasn't as dumb as he acted most of the time.

* * *

Watson whistled as she drove. A few hours of sleep had done wonders for her, as had the sex. Perhaps it had been the pent up of emotions after the attempted rape that had driven Leah's libido and need for intimacy, she wasn't sure, only that last night had been amazing and had she not had to resume the chase this morning, Watson would have liked to have spent more time teaching Leah the further joys of having sex with a woman. And if last night was anything to go by, she suspected Leah would be more than up to the tutelage. She felt a knowing tingle between her legs at the memory of Leah's mouth there. Yep, the woman was definitely an avid student in the art of lovemaking.

"Shit," she muttered when further images of Leah in the throes of passion invaded her thoughts. The last thing she needed was for her desires to flare up again. She needed her mind on the job at hand, not on what she'd left behind, however enjoyable it had been.

* * *

Charlie looked over at Joey again. The woman appeared on high alert today and had a steely determination in her eyes that Charlie found oddly comforting. It was right at that moment when Charlie suddenly realised that if Joey had been a police officer, her partner on the Force, she would have admired her for the way she'd handled this situation, not doubted her. From Joey's fighting skills, to her ability to think on her feet, to the calm, yet determined way in which she had dealt with all of this, those were all admirable qualities in a police officer. Okay, so they're not so admirable qualities for a criminal to have, but they were the qualities she and Joey would need if they were to get out of this alive.

Charlie sat back in her seat, a small smile on her lips. A weight felt like it had lifted from her shoulders, which filled her with confidence that the nagging self doubts were behind her.

* * *

Casey stuck out his thumb as another car went by. He'd woken that morning with one goal in mind. To run as far as he could. He was done kidding himself. He couldn't hurt those women, regardless of what Brax thought of them. His heart just wasn't in it and never would be, because no matter how much Brax tried to push him into being like the others, he wasn't one of them and didn't want to be. Brax would never stop trying to corrupt him if he stayed though, so his only option was to get out while he still could. Casey had no idea where he was going or how he'd live, he hadn't really thought that far ahead, but standing out here, with his thumb out, he felt the taste of freedom for the very first time and he liked it. Even the guilt gnawing at him for abandoning his kid wasn't going to hold him back, because for all his faults, Heath was a good dad and he'd see right by his niece or nephew once he or she was born, which made this somewhat easier for Casey.

He smiled when a little blue car pulled up next to him. The driver was a young woman with a mop of curly hair.

"Where are you heading?" she called out.

"Anywhere," Casey said.

"That's a big place," she replied with a grin and Casey found himself grinning back.

"That's ok, I have all the time in the world to see it."

"Well, I'm heading toward the coast, then further down, if you're interested in going that way."

"Sounds great," he said, jumping into the car without further delay. "I'm Casey."

"Ruby."

"Nice to meet you Ruby."

Casey sat back in the seat as Ruby drove off. Stu had probably returned to the room by now and found the note he'd left behind. He could just imagine Brax's rage when Stu informed him of the notes contents, but right now, Casey didn't care. He was free, finally free.


	23. Chapter 23

**TWO DAYS LATER…**

Charlie was a lot happier today. Not only was she in a better emotional space, yesterday, they'd found a camping ground with showers, so she was in a far more comfortable state as well. Ah, she'd never loved a shower more and no doubt Joey also appreciated it, since the car had become a little more unbearable the longer they'd both gone without soap and water. It had certainly helped when it came to sleeping in the car as well, which had become easier now that her mood had lightened ever since she'd had her private little pep talk to herself. Joey had noticed the change in her mood, but hadn't really commented on it, not even with her usual glib teasing, which thankfully had dried up lately. Actually, she and Joey didn't speak much at all, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence that had fallen between them, it was a silence of acceptance that they were in this together, that they were a team and they'd reached that stage where there just wasn't any need to fill the air with meaningless chatter, because it was more relaxed between them and so they didn't bother. Personally, Charlie was just happy to listen to the radio and concentrate on the road whenever she was driving, of which they'd done a hell of a lot of recently.

In the last couple of days, they'd covered a lot of ground, with each day similar to the previous. They'd wake up at the break of dawn, stop at the next town they arrived at, splash some water on their faces and clean up the best they could, before grabbing some food and then leaving as quickly and as quietly as they could, all the while, ensuring that there was nothing remarkable about them to remember. They were just two women driving somewhere, at least that was the only impression they were hoping to leave behind should someone stop and ask about them. Who was behind them? Watson no doubt, perhaps others as well. Had Nick sent more after his brother-in-law had failed? She just had no idea and she hadn't bothered with the personnel's in the papers to see if he had anything to say for himself. There was no point. Nick had revealed his hand, shattering all trust she ever had in him and Charlie had no intension of ever falling for his lies again. It still hurt and Charlie doubted she'd ever get over Nick's betrayal, but she sure as hell wasn't going to wallow in it. He was behind her, any pursuers were behind her and as long as they kept their guard up and trusted in their instincts, then Charlie had a good feeling they'd get through this.

Still, she'd like to find someone else to trust, because in spite of her more positive frame of mind, she had a feeling that she and Joey just weren't going to be enough on their own. They couldn't run forever, so they'd eventually need help, it was just a matter of now figuring out where that help would come from. She needed to find someone she could contact outside of the Force, yet who was in a position to help. If her father had still lived, he'd have been the obvious choice, but he was gone now. He'd been a cop for 20 years before he'd retired and in that time, he'd cultivated a network of contacts he'd kept until the day he died, so perhaps one of his old contacts could prove equally useful to her. Not all could be trusted for obvious reasons, since some of them were informants from a less than honest background or were still tied up with the Force, but there had to be someone who owed her dad a favour that she could reach out to.

"Not long now," Joey said, breaking through Charlie's thoughts.

They'd kept to Joey's plan of taking a few circular routes before heading straight to their destination, which going by Joey's comment just then, they'd arrive at shortly. Charlie was still unsure whether staying in this town for any length of time, even if only a couple of days, was the wisest of moves, but at least it would give them a chance to rest up properly, which could prove to be just as important to their well being as planning their next move was. She definitely couldn't deny that she was looking forward to sleeping in a proper bed, though with her luck, she thought with a wry smile, she'd be sleeping sitting up in bed, since that had become her standard pose in the past few nights.

* * *

"Angelo's lawyer is still refusing to let us talk to him," Nick informed Robertson as they debriefed again. "He's citing Angelo's injuries and his psychological well being as he struggles to deal with losing his eye, as the reason for Angelo's unavailability for the foreseeable future."

"Bloody lawyers," muttered Robertson. "Any chance you or your wife could change his mind?"

"Lu has already tried, but Angelo won't budge," replied Nick. "He knows damn well no deal will save him from prison and so his best chance now, is by staying on lover boy's side to ensure he has protection on the inside," he said. "And that means keeping his mouth shut."

"Damn," Robertson murmured, knowing that Nick was most likely right. As with the Braxtons, the Pirovics had a strong presence within the jail system, even from the outside and people learnt very quickly to not mess with their property.

"Angelo's a dead end at the moment," Nick said. "We need to focus on Charlie and your witness."

"Why did you say 'your witness' in that way?"

"The crime scene report just came in," Nick said by way of reply and he produced a photo of the bulletproof vest Angelo had been found in.

"Impressive," said Robertson.

"Quite," Nick agreed. "Your witness is quite the talented markswoman."

"We can't be sure that my witness did this," he replied. "The weapon used wasn't found at the scene, so we have no way to know who pulled the trigger," Robertson argued. "Not even Rosetta's ramblings at the scene made it clear as to which woman was _the bitch_ he was referring to."

"The second crime scene where the fight occurred, points to your witness being the bitch who got into fisticuffs with him," Nick pointed out. "We still had Collins' prints on file from when she was taken into protective custody and they match prints found all over that crime scene," he said. "Her prints, not Charlie's, were also found on both Angelo's handcuffs that were used to secure him and on the pen that took out his eye."

"That doesn't make Miss Collins the shooter," Robertson said. "What does ballistics say?"

"That the bullets recovered at the first scene came from Charlie's service weapon."

"Well there you go," he said. "Charlie could easily have been the shooter."

"Thing is, Charlie has excelled in so many areas during her career, but her weakest skill has always been with a firearm," Nick informed him. "Oh, she'd have no trouble hitting a target, but never with that precision."

"Maybe she got lucky," he argued. "That seems more feasible than my witness being the shooter."

"What about the fact that she went toe-to-toe with a trained police officer and not only bettered him, she severely wounded him in the process," Nick pointed out. "Come on Robert, what do we really know about this woman?" he said. "Even your protégé said there's something funky with her, that things in her past and work history don't add up, so who the fuck is she?"

It wasn't the first time he'd asked, yet it was the first time he saw Robertson look uncertain.

Robertson sighed wearily. "I don't know," he finally admitted and now Nick wasn't sure what worried him more. The unknowns about their witness or the fact that both Charlie's and Angelo's service weapons were still at large, along with a knife that had once belonged in the empty sheaf that had been strapped to Angelo's leg. Was Charlie the one holding them or was Joey Collins?

* * *

 _"Police have today released the name of the man found murdered behind the local diner. His name was Robert Cruze, a door-to-door salesman. Items discovered in the victim's car have since made Cruze a person of interest in a series of rapes. Police have refused to confirm whether his murder was an act of revenge or of self-defence. Cruze's sister, spoke on behalf of the family and has vowed to clear her brother's name and to bring his killer to justice."_

Watson shook her head. It never ceased to amaze her how some people buried their head in the sand when it came to their loved one's criminal activities, and she had a feeling that even had the sister witnessed every rape, she'd still find a way to excuse his behaviour, probably by blaming the victim. She shook her head. That was one part of being a cop that she wouldn't miss, yet as she thought that, she realised there were parts of the job she'd miss. Sure, her loyalties had been divided during her entire police career, but there were times when she'd genuinely loved the job, yet now with her cover blown, that was all gone and she'd now have to do everything possible to avoid going to jail. Brax's lawyers could work wonders and had kept many an employee out of jail, but even if Brax was inclined to help her out, which she had some doubts about, she knew that the most likely outcome was incarceration. She should probably just up and disappear, she knew how to and she had plenty of money stashed away to support herself, but Watson also knew if she ran now, then she'd have both the cops and the Braxtons coming after. No, her best chance was to complete this job, thereby proving her loyalty once and for all, which should be enough to get the Braxtons off her back, and allow her to then disappear with only the cops to worry about.

Walking out on her life didn't exactly fill her with joy, but the alternative was far worse and she'd rather die than go to jail. Just do the job, then disappear to some far off place where she could build a happy life, maybe even find a woman to finally settle down with. Her thoughts drifted to a familiar face and she allowed herself a smile. A woman like Leah, who didn't ask too many questions and loved giving as much as receiving. That tingle returned between her legs, as it nearly always did whenever her memories drifted back to that night. She seriously needed a good fuck so she could move on.

* * *

"What the fuck is that little bastard thinking," Brax raged. Both Heath and Kyle stayed silent. Their brother had been like this ever since Stu had relayed Casey's letter to them, and his already foul mood had only gotten worse when Pee Wee and Brodie had been forced to abandon the chase when their car had broken down. Everything they had worked so hard for, seemed to be going wrong. First with the cops swooping on Collins so quickly, to then losing her and that cop, to Mick losing those drugs, Casey running, all of it was just piling up on top of each other, and in this kind of mood, Brax was even more volatile than usual, as his wife had found out last night. Bianca was sporting a black eye after trying to reason with her husband over his reaction to Casey leaving, and now Kyle was forced to keep an eye on Heath to make sure he didn't do anything dumb, such as call Brax out. Like Casey, he was well aware of what was going on between Heath and Bianca and the last thing they needed right now, was for Brax to find out that her baby was more than likely Heath's and not his. So soon after Casey's betrayal, Kyle just wasn't sure if Brax would be able to hold back and he could very well kill Heath in a fit of rage.

"I want that little fucker found," Brax screamed.

"Casey probably just needs some time alone and then he'll come home when he's ready," Kyle said, even though he knew there was no chance of that ever happening. He hadn't told either of his brothers that Casey had called him last night to explain why he had to leave, and Kyle didn't feel the least bit guilty in transferring money to Casey. He was as much his brother as Brax and Heath were and he wouldn't abandon him, nor would he ever betray his confidence.

"The little coward is running," Brax snarled. "He's betraying our family."

"I warned you he wasn't up for this," Heath finally spoke up. "No matter how much we both pushed him, Casey has never been." He never got a chance to finish as Brax's fist slammed into his face. Heath didn't go down, he just stood and glared at his brother, his nose streaming blood as he seethed with anger on the inside. He'd never raised a hand to Brax, but he was oh so close to wiping that insufferable smugness from his face.

"Casey is a Braxton and it's about fucking time he started acting like one," Brax yelled. "Kyle, get onto Stu, tell him to get after Casey and bring him back, even if he has to beat some sense into him first."

"Yeah, that'll work," murmured Kyle.

"Just do it!" Brax shouted.

"What about the women?" Heath asked. "As long as they're still out there, they're a threat to us."

"Leave them to Tegan and Hayley," replied Brax. "At least they're not incompetent fuckwits or cowards like the rest of you."

"No, they're just psycho bitches who'd eat babies for breakfast if given the chance," Kyle muttered under his breath as he went to do as Brax had bidden him to do.

* * *

"Ready girlfriend," Joey said and in doing so, reminded Charlie of the part she was meant to play. That of Joey's girlfriend. Against her wishes, Charlie's mind brought up the memory of that kiss. She'd completely lost herself in that kiss which had felt like it had gone on forever. She couldn't afford to do that again. As much as she was placing trust in Joey these days and was even willing to publically pose as her girlfriend, it would be too risky for them to be too physical with their role playing, if for no other reason than she didn't trust her hormones. She hadn't had sex for some time now and Joey was a beautiful woman, with soft, warm lips and Charlie stopped herself there. That was exactly why she needed to keep a physical distance from Joey.

"We're here at last," said Joey.

"So this is the place?" Charlie said.

"Yep, welcome to Summer Bay."


	24. Chapter 24

"Doesn't look like it has changed much at all," Joey noted on her first sight of Summer Bay in years.

"When was the last time you were here?"

"When I was about 10," she said, then she smiled sheepishly. "My one and only visit."

"You are kidding me, right?" Charlie said. "I thought you said you knew this place well and that it would be safe."

"I may have exaggerated slightly as to my level of familiarity with this town," she said. "But look around Charlie, this place just screams be welcome and be safe."

Charlie had to admit, that as they drove through the town, it did look very welcoming and the beach especially, looked clean and inviting.

"I suppose it should be fine for a couple of days," Charlie said, eyeing off that surf. Those waves looked to die for and she almost couldn't wait to put on their newly purchased swimsuits and dive in. "Where are we going to stay?"

"No idea," said Joey with another sheepish smile. "I didn't exactly have a chance to plan ahead accommodation wise, but I'm sure we'll be able to find somewhere to stay," she said.

* * *

"Ok, there's a caravan park just up the hill," Joey said when she returned to the car. "The lady in the Diner is part owner and she said they still have some vacancies available."

"Oh goodie, a small, cramped caravan," mumbled Charlie.

"Yeah, because the car has been so spacious and luxurious to sleep in," Joey pointed out with a smile.

"Fair point," said Charlie. "Do we have the money?"

"Yes, I have enough to cover the costs," Joey replied, knowing that her faux girlfriend was still curious about that account and how much money she had in it. Joey wondered what Charlie would think if she knew that there was more than one secret account which she had.

* * *

"I just wanted to thank you again Pippa for arranging that job for me," Casey said to the older woman. "I'm not sure how long I'll be sticking around for, but Mr Stewart said I could stay in the room at the back of the bait shop for as long as I needed it," he said.

"Alf's a good man as long as you do right by him."

"I will," he said. "Is Ruby around?"

"She's cleaning the vans," she replied.

"I'll just go say hi before I head back to work," Casey said and Pippa watched the young man walk away. It was just like her daughter to have brought home a stray, though this was the first of the two-legged variety. Casey seemed a nice enough young man, no more than a boy really. She didn't know what his story was, but she'd seen enough runaways, had even taken some into her home, to recognise another one. What was Casey running from? There had been times in the last couple of days since he'd arrived, where she'd caught him looking over his shoulder, as if expecting to find someone there. Was he in danger? Pippa didn't want to pry too much into his life if he wasn't ready to speak about it, but she'd rather her daughter not become too enamoured with this young man, just in case he was in some kind of serious trouble. If he was, she'd help him if she could, as long as Ruby didn't end up hurt in any way.

* * *

Casey patted his pocket where his new licence, which had just arrived by courier today, rested in his wallet. Kyle had come through again with the licence and new name, but he knew he couldn't rely on his brother forever. It wasn't fair to expect Kyle to keep lying to their other brothers, and it would be too risky for Kyle to keep sending money, so Casey knew he'd need to keep finding work, even if it was in a smelly bait shop. At least the rent was free, which meant he could save up and then move on quicker, so that he could stay ahead of anyone Brax sent after him.

"Shit! Shit! Shit! Bugger! Shit!"

Casey shook his head with amusement. It sounded like Ruby wasn't enjoying her task. He'd better go help her. With his thoughts elsewhere, he didn't take any notice of the car that just drove past him.

"This place looks comfy," Joey said as she parked the car in front of the big house that rested atop the hill. "Nice and secluded, yet very inviting."

"And it's not the car," Charlie said and they both grinned.

* * *

They'd met the owner of the house and caravan park, a lovely woman called Pippa. She hadn't batted an eye when they'd asked for a caravan, preferably one with a bed to share, which made a nice change after some of the looks they'd gotten during their journey this far. Then Charlie had seen the photos of Pippa and her family, and her enthusiastic welcome had made sense. Instead of a caravan though, Pippa had rented them a cabin with a double bed. A smallish double bed that Charlie was looking at right now.

"We'll have to share," said Joey. "I can't handle another night sitting up sleeping in a chair of any kind," she explained.

"Sharing is fine," mumbled Charlie, still staring at the bed. So much for keeping a physical distance from Joey, she thought. If they shared that bed, they'd be right on top of each other. She knew they had to act like a loving couple in order to pass this ruse off, but sleeping together was another thing. Sleeping in a smallish bed in which they'd be touching. Sleeping with a woman when she hadn't had sex for some time. Sleeping with a woman she found attractive. Sleeping with… oh quit your bitching Charlie and suck it up, she told herself. Neither of them really wanted this, but sometimes you were forced into doing unpleasant things, so just do it. Yeah, because sleeping in the same bed with a beautiful woman was a totally unpleasant thing to be doing.

"I don't bite," Joey said. She was standing so close to Charlie, she could feel her breath on her ear. "Unless you want me to," she whispered and Charlie shivered.

She looked at Joey, her eyes dropping to her lips, then up to her eyes. Shit, this was going to be tough. "I prefer nibbling than biting," Charlie fired back, to Joey's amusement.

"Anything you want, girlfriend."

"Can we really pull this off?" she asked in all seriousness.

"Pippa bought it," Joey said. "And I'd say she's a pretty good judge of character and couples." She flipped open her bag and took out a few items. "I'm going to have a proper shower before we see the sights," she said. "What about you?"

"A shower sounds good," replied Charlie.

"Maybe we should share, you know, to help sell that we're a couple," Joey said with a completely straight face.

"Ha ha," drawled Charlie. "Pippa said there were three showers in the shower block, so I'm taking the one furthest from you."

Joey laughed as they headed from the cabin toward the showers.

* * *

"Do you think this is a good idea?" Charlie said, speaking of the invitation to dinner Pippa had extended to them on their return. They'd spent the rest of the day getting to know the town or as Joey had put it, doing a reconnaissance of the town to work out the best exit routes if the shit hit the fan. Charlie couldn't blame her for thinking like that. They were taking a risk just by staying here and if someone should catch up to them, then it made sense to know the quickest and safest way out of town. Unfortunately, they hadn't had a chance to go swimming yet, but Charlie was determined to get up early and sample that water. But first, they had to get through the night. "What if they grill us?"

"Pippa and her wife invited us to dinner, not to the bloody inquisition," Joey said with a chuckle. "Besides, this will be a good opportunity to give our story a proper test run," she said.

"That we've been together for five weeks, but work kept getting in the way, so we decided to take a holiday to spend time together and also to get to know each other better."

"Exactly," said Joey. "This way, if either of us slip up about not knowing something about the other, it'll be easier to explain away."

"Laying low and keeping to ourselves would be easier," Charlie told her.

"Maybe if we were in a different town, but this is a tourist town with lovely sunshine and a gorgeous beach," said Joey. "It'd look like we were trying to hide if we don't do the touristy thing and stayed indoors all the time."

"Or maybe we just like staying indoors so we could have a lot of sex."

Joey's brow rose at the suggestion.

"You know what I mean," Charlie said.

"Yeah, I do, but I'm just enjoying the picture now playing in my head."

"You're hopeless."

"No, I'm horny," she freely admitted. "And all this being cooped up and running hasn't helped things."

"Well don't look at me," said Charlie. "If you want relief, do it yourself."

"As long as you don't mind laying next to me when I'm seeing to myself," Joey said and Charlie stared at her. Joey chuckled at her horrified expression. "Relax Charlie, I may be as horny as hell, but I'm not into masturbating in front of a woman who doesn't want to be a part of it."

"Good," she murmured. With the way things were going, she was going to have to find a place to see to herself as well.

"Come on, Pippa and Irene will be waiting for us," Joey said, and before Charlie realised what Joey was doing, her lips were on hers. Rather than pull away, Charlie groaned and melted into the kiss.

"Sorry, it just felt like a girlfriendy thing to do," Joey murmured when the kiss finally ended. She was just as shocked as Charlie had been by what she'd done. It hadn't been intentional at all, she'd just, well, she didn't know why she'd done it actually.

"Kissing is something girlfriends do, even fake ones," Charlie said, willing her heart to stop beating so fast. What was it about this woman that kept rendering her useless so often? Things felt even more precarious now that they'd become more at ease with each other, and at this rate, she was going to be driven to sexual frustration until she burst, if she didn't find a way to keep a physical distance. Then she remembered the bed they'd be sharing. How the hell was she going to survive this?

"Ok, let's do dinner and if either of our hosts look like they're getting suspicious about us, we'll make an excuse to leave, then skulk away in the middle of the night," Joey said, in a vain attempt to regain control by focussing on the task before them. The kiss had left her shaken and confused. Charlie was a beautiful woman, there was no way to deny that, but it was more than that and Joey didn't like it one bit. She needed to be at the top of her game, which meant not allowing herself to being distracted by the vision of beauty she was sleeping with. Oh fuck, this was going to be more torture than anything that Watson bitch could ever think up.

* * *

"Any chance you can reach out to Buckton again?" Robertson asked of Nick during their latest debriefing.

"I can keep posting messages in the personals, but I doubt Charlie trusts me enough to contact me again after Angelo's clusterfuck."

"What if we release a statement, saying Rosetta acted alone?"

"I gave her a new partner who turned on her, then I sent my own brother-in-law to meet with her, and he tried to kill her," he said. "Would you trust me?"

"You have a very trusting face," Robertson said, surprising Nick with his attempt at humour. "But I see your point. Anything you do might be mistaken for a trap by Buckton."

"Exactly and I wouldn't blame Charlie for thinking it."

"We have to make a decision on our next move," he said. "We're no closer to bringing Buckton and my witness in or of finding Watson," Robertson said. "It's time to go public, with all of it, including Buckton and Collins' disappearance."


	25. Chapter 25

"Are you sure about going public?" Nick said to Robertson. "Outing Watson I can understand, especially as it should make it harder for her to move freely about, but flashing Charlie and Joey Collins' faces all over the media could backfire," he stated. "It could send them deeper underground, or worse, have word of sightings get back to the wrong people before we have a chance to get to them. We're still unsure how many people Braxton has on the inside and if he still has someone in a position of power here that we're yet to identify, then they could stand between Charlie and us."

"Then what do you suggest?" replied Robertson.

"We make public statements in regards to Watson and Angelo, full disclosure on what we know of their activities to date, their corruption, the whole juicy details, including their potential link to the Braxtons," he said. "But we keep our missing women out of it, at least for now."

"You believe the publicity could force them to go deeper into hiding and you could be right, but it could also have the opposite affect and force them to come in, because the extra eyes out there may make it harder for them to hide," Robertson argued.

"Yeah, it could," Nick conceded. "But I just don't think that your suggestion is the best way to get Charlie to trust us again," he said. "Right now, Charlie thinks I want her dead because I sent Angelo to her, so I need to convince her that I had no idea about him and one way to do that, is to put the spotlight onto police corruption while leaving her out of it. She knows I could easily use the media to paint Angelo as the victim here and her as the bad guy, so I'm hoping that a public statement against Angelo, my own brother-in-law, will go some way to convincing Charlie that Angelo acted without my authority." Nick shrugged helplessly. "Just give me a couple more days to try to reach out to Charlie, that's all I'm asking for."

"I intend to make a media statement within the hour," Robertson said. "Then another in two days," he added. "You have your two days, make the most of it."

* * *

Charlie splashed some water on her face. Thankfully, the cabin had an indoor toilet and basin, giving her the perfect excuse to get away from Joey for a moment. Her thoughts were still occupied by that kiss. It had come out of nowhere. At least she hadn't flinched, so maybe she was getting used to playing the part of a loving girlfriend. Was it really just her playing a part that had had her melting into the kiss or the fact that she had liked it, because she had liked it. More water splashed on her face as she tried to wash that thought away. The last thing she wanted or needed, was to enjoy kissing Joey. More water was needed.

After a thorough wash, Charlie stared into the mirror. "Get a grip, Charlie," she murmured to her reflection. "You have a performance to put on tonight." Straightening herself, she took a deep breath. She could do this.

* * *

Graves concentrated on finishing her food, rather than on her dinner companion. It was almost becoming unbearable. She was the bright, up-and-comer, the future of the police force, yet she was being reduced to this distracted mess. What the hell was it about this guy that had her behaving like a love sick teenager?

"Aww, you make such a cute couple," the waitress said as she handed Dex the bill. Graves nearly bit her tongue in her attempt to avoid comment, because she knew if she said anything, it wouldn't have been a polite response.

"Have you been together long?" the woman asked.

"We've been partners for just over three days now," Dex replied. He missed the icy daggers Graves sent his way.

"Oh wow, I would have expected it to be longer than that," the waitress said. "I wish you all the best," she said as she moved onto the next table.

"What the hell was that?" Graves demanded to know with a furious whisper.

"What?" Dex said innocently.

"That whole partners thing."

"We are partners and we have been for just over three days," he said.

Graves frowned. Had he really not picked up on what the waitress had said about them being a couple. She honestly couldn't tell when he had this permanent earnest expression on his face. God, is that how most people saw her?

* * *

"Casey can't come," Ruby unhappily informed Pippa. "Alf asked him to do some extra work and Casey couldn't say no."

"I know you're disappointed Casey can't join us for tea, but you know how important work is to him," Pippa told her.

"Yeah, I know, I was just hoping we could spend some time together."

"There's always tomorrow," she said.

"If I'm not slaving to the bone cleaning up after everyone else's mess," Ruby muttered as she stomped from the room.

"Sorry about my daughter, she's met a boy that she likes," Pippa explained to her houseguests.

"I know all about that," Charlie said in understanding.

"You know all about boys, do you?" Joey said with a teasing grin.

"I meant about being that age and meeting someone you really liked," replied Charlie. "In my case, it was girls."

"Either or for me at that stage," said Joey. "I was still trying to figure it out, so it was a bit of an experimental time for me."

"Did you always know you were gay, Charlie?" Irene, Pippa's wife, asked her.

"Pretty much," she said. "What about you two," asked Charlie. "How long have you been together?"

"What is it, twenty five years now?" said Irene.

"25 and counting," said Pippa. "We were both late bloomers though," she said. "We'd both been married to men and had families, but it never felt right until we met each other. Then everything clicked."

"Were you still married at the time," Joey asked with curiosity. "Sorry, I didn't mean to imply anything."

"It's ok," said Pippa. "I was a widow at the time and while I had been happy with Tom, it felt more like a marriage of respect between two friends, than a deep love," she explained. "I did miss him once he was gone and I wasn't really looking for love when Irene's path crossed with mine."

"Unlike Pippa, I was still married at the time," Irene said. "It wasn't a happy marriage by any stretch and if not for Pippa's help, I may very well have lost everything, including my kids," she told them. "Pippa helped me to get out of that abusive relationship and back onto my feet, and somewhere along the way, our friendship developed into something stronger."

"It surprised both us," said Pippa. "It was so unexpected."

"And not just for us," added Irene. "Our families were shocked and it took some time for our kids to come around to the idea of their mothers being in a lesbian relationship."

"But they did eventually and we haven't looked back since," Pippa said.

"I was looking at the photos on the mantelpiece before," said Joey. "Are they all your kids?"

"All eleven of them."

"Eleven, bloody hell!" Charlie blurted out. "Oops, sorry, that was a little ruder than I intended," she sheepishly said.

"It's ok, we're used to that reaction whenever people see our brood," said Pippa with a warm smile. "Irene had three with her husband, Nathan, Finn and Damien and there was my Christopher," she explained. "Tom and I had also adopted Sally and Miles as young children before his death, so we already had six between us when Irene and I met."

"Then as they grew older, we decided we still had plenty of love to go around, so we became foster parents," Irene added.

"As a same-sex couple, it wasn't easy to convince the relevant authorities back then, but we had the backing of some very influential members of the community who spoke up for us," Pippa explained to them. "And after they made us jump through a few hoops and passed all their inspections, we became registered foster parents. Steven and Carly were our first, they were teenagers at the time, same with Jack and Sophie," she said. "Ruby, she was just a baby when we took her in."

"We would have adopted her on the spot if we'd been able to, but we first had to wait for the laws to change," said Irene. "The moment it did, we adopted her."

"Do all your kids still live in town?" Charlie asked.

"Sally and Miles have stayed and they have their own places now," Pippa replied. "And Ruby of course, but the others have their own families and work and other opportunities have taken them elsewhere."

"They all come back for Christmas and birthdays," Irene said with fond affection.

"I can see why you need the big house," said Joey. "Just to fit them all in."

"Yeah, but now it's a little lonely without all of them here," said Irene. "We're actually thinking of taking in some more foster kids."

"I wish I'd have been with a family like yours," Joey said to them. "I was a foster kid, but I only ever had one family where I felt like I belonged and I wasn't there for as long as I'd have liked, before I got moved onto the next lot."

"We try to do our best for the kids who come through our door, but it can be a different experience for everyone and it doesn't always work out," Pippa said knowingly.

* * *

"What's the name of that guy again?" Hayley asked her lover.

"Aden, Aden Jeffries," Tegan replied.

"You reckon he knows where to find her?"

"We can ask him when we pay him a visit."

Hayley shivered in anticipation. She'd never had as much fun as she was having on this trip.

* * *

"How did you come to choose Summer Bay as your holiday destination?" Irene asked as the evening turned to dessert. A yummy triple decker cake that had Joey salivating.

"Joey's actually been here before," Charlie said. It was one of the few things she did know about this woman.

"A long time ago and it was only a brief stay," Joey told them. "But I remember really loving it and it's always stuck in my mind, so when we were deciding where to go, it popped into my head again."

"We didn't meet that time, did we?" Pippa said. "You seem familiar."

"I'm not sure," she replied honestly. She took a huge mouthful of cake and her eyes rolled back in bliss. "Oh man, I could eat this all day."

"It really is delicious," agreed Charlie.

"I'll be sure to pass on your compliments to the chef when I see him tomorrow," Irene said with a chuckle as Joey all but devoured her piece in record time.

* * *

"Fuck, fuck," Watson muttered, slapping her hand onto the steering wheel as she switched the news off. She'd always known it was only a matter of time before her cover was publically blown apart, she'd just been hoping for a bit more time before it happened, and now that it was all out, her task had become even harder.

Her phone blared to life. She didn't need to look at the caller id to see it would be from Heath. Or worse, from Brax. No doubt, they'll be furious with having their name linked again so publically to police corruption, but there was nothing she could really say to them, so she ignored it. Hopefully they'd calm down by tomorrow, though she doubted it.

Interestingly, there had been no mention of her prey during Robertson's presser. Why not flush those silly bitches out the same way they were trying to flush her out? It made her curious and she wondered what Nick was up to.

"Fuck," Watson grumbled as her stomach reminded her yet again that it was empty. Unfortunately, the next town was still some time away, if her map was anything to go by. This chase really was becoming less enticing as the kilometres went by.

And more wearing.

And more lonely.

* * *

"I'm a cop," Charlie said in response to Irene's latest question. Since they hadn't the time or resources to come up with an elaborate backstory or new identification, they'd decided to keep things as close to the truth as possible, since being a relatively new couple would only explain away some mistakes they made. So the plan was to keep it simple and whenever possible, avoid using surnames. Joey had paid cash for the cabin and they'd signed in simply as Joey and Charlie. Pippa hadn't queried it and Charlie suspected she'd had plenty of people coming through who had wanted to maintain some privacy, for whatever reason.

"And I'm a criminal," Joey said, causing Charlie to choke on her drink. "She caught me in the act and it was love at first sight as she arrested me." Everyone else laughed, naturally assuming that Joey was only joking. "Actually, I work on fishing boats."

"Well you picked a great town if you're interested in doing some fishing while you're here," Irene told her. "Alf Stewart charters his boat out at a reasonable rate."

"Mate's rates," Pippa said. "We can put in a good word for you."

"I just might do that," said Joey. "What about it baby?" she said, her hand rubbing playfully along Charlie's back. "How about we charter a boat and spend a day out on the water."

"Sounds great," Charlie said, trying to ignore the heat from Joey's hand, while Joey chuckled at her less than enthusiastic response to her suggestion.

"I think I might need to convince her a bit more," Joey said.

"You're not a fan of boats, Charlie?" asked Pippa.

"Not really," Charlie admitted honestly. "An unfortunate experience as a kid," she told them. "I do love to swim however, so I'm looking forward to heading to the beach first thing tomorrow."

"Do you surf?" Irene queried.

"Tried and failed," replied Charlie. "Enough times that I decided to preserve my dignity by accepting defeat."

"I surf," said Joey.

"Really," said Charlie. "I can't imagine you on a surfboard at all."

"There's a lot you still don't know about me, baby," Joey said.

"I know, but I'm going to enjoy finding out," Charlie said, playing along, yet not quite willing to go in for a kiss to seal it.

Irene and Pippa were smiling at them.

"I know you've only been together a few weeks, but I reckon you two will go the distance," Pippa said. "I have a sixth sense about these things and you two are lifers together."

Charlie wasn't sure what was worse. Being forced to pose as Joey's girlfriend or being so convincing at it, that Pippa thought they really had a future together. She knew she was being ridiculous, since being convincing was the whole point of their act, but she didn't want to be that convincing.

"I hope so," Joey was saying and Charlie tried to tune back into the conversation. "When I first met Charlie, I thought, my god, she's beautiful and as I got to know her more, I realised she was just as beautiful on the inside as well, and I wanted to be around her every second of the day."

"We've certainly managed that on our road trip," murmured Charlie. She felt like Joey was going too hard on the sell, but a glance at their two hosts, said they were lapping it up. "It's been a long drive since Joey insisted on going half way around the State just to get here."

"I liked the scenery," Joey said. "And any excuse to spend more time with my dreamboat," she said. "I'd even handcuff her to me if I could," she sweetly added. Charlie kicked her under the table at the less than subtle reminder of their early days, when handcuffs had been Joey's preferred jewellery for her.

"Honestly, I love Irene to death, but I couldn't think of anything worse than being stuck in a car with her for hours on end."

"I feel exactly the same way," said Irene.

"Well, we're here now, so we can spend all the time we want together without feeling suffocated by the confines of that car," said Joey. "And I just can't wait to see my gorgeous girl in her new swimsuit."

"Let me guess, a bikini," said Pippa.

"Unfortunately not," Joey bemoaned exaggeratedly, much to the amusement of the two older women. "I had the perfect one picked out for her as well, but she went for a boring and safe one piece."

"Because the only eyes I want ogling me are Joey's," Charlie said, wishing for the exact opposite.

"Oh I'll definitely be ogling you tonight," Joey said with a suggestive wiggle of her brows that caused Charlie to flush red with heat. This night was becoming worse by the hour, despite the lovely company of their hosts.

"Perhaps we should call it a night and allow you two ladies to be alone," Irene said with a smirk.

"What do you say baby?" said Joey. "An early night?" her voice suggesting a long, lustful evening ahead of them.

"Sounds wonderful," Charlie managed to get out, while picturing strangling Joey for her blatant teasing.

"Thank you so much for the meal," Joey said. "It was so nice of you to invite us."

"It was a pleasure," said Pippa. "And if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you both," said Charlie.

"Come on baby, time to get to bed for some shut eye," Joey said, her hand on Charlie's butt to guide her from the house.

"Ok, enough with the games," muttered Charlie, slapping Joey's hand away the moment they were alone.

"I was just trying to be convincing."

"You've succeeded, but there's no need to keep up the pretence now we're alone."

"Fine," Joey said, pinching Charlie's arse and then making a run for it, Charlie hot on her heels.

"You'll pay for that," Charlie called out.

Joey had just made it into their cabin when Charlie tackled her from behind. They crashed forward onto the bed, laughing and tickling, completely lost in the moment as their lips locked and hands began working at clothing. It was only when her naked breasts pressed against Joey's, did Charlie's senses come back to her. She flew back as if burnt and stared down at the other woman in shock.


	26. Chapter 26

Nick flicked the TV off. The presser had been replayed over and over on all the main channels since it was first held and he had to admit, Robertson not only looked good on TV, he'd come across with the right amount of anger at Watson and Angelo's corruption, yet it was his sincerity in promising to bring the two to justice and to weed out any further corrupt officers, that Nick thought really hit home. He was also glad that it was Robertson who was now having to deal with the reporters who were baying for blood and information.

He sighed heavily. It was only a matter of time though, before they came after him, since this was his failure. Sure, he wasn't the one who assigned Watson, but this was his department, Angelo was his brother-in-law and this whole fuck happened on his watch. Part of him wasn't sure if he'd survive the subsequent investigation with his own reputation or career in tact. The Brass hated it when the Force was embarrassed, and this whole mess was an embarrassment of the worst kind.

Yet Nick couldn't worry about himself at the moment, not when Charlie and their witness were still out there. While he doubted Robertson's presser would be entirely convincing to Charlie, he hoped it would at least have her questioning the status of her situation and whether or not she could trust Robertson. In the meantime, he had two days in which to work on bringing Charlie in, he just hoped it was enough time.

* * *

 _Joey had just made it into their cabin when Charlie tackled her from behind. They crashed forward onto the bed, laughing and tickling, completely lost in the moment as their lips locked and hands began working at clothing. It was only when her naked breasts pressed against Joey's, did Charlie's senses come back to her. She flew back as if burnt and stared down at the other woman in shock._

Charlie was panting heavily with desire as she continued to stare at Joey. God, she wanted sex right now, but not with this woman. Yet she made no attempt to move from where she was straddled across Joey's legs.

Joey lay on her back, gazing up at Charlie. There was desire in her eyes, her chest was heaving before her, and when Charlie made no further move away from her, Joey daringly reached up and caressed Charlie's breasts. Charlie groaned. Emboldened, Joey sat up and flicked her tongue over the nipple. More encouraging sounds emerged from Charlie. Joey turned her attention to the other nipple. With one hand, she cupped and squeezed Charlie's breast while her mouth worked the other into a hard, quivering peak. She switched breasts, repeating the process over. As Joey sucked and squeezed, Charlie was pressing her chest harder into Joey's hand and mouth.

"Oh god," Charlie groaned. Her nipples were so hard they were almost painful at the touch, yet she couldn't get enough of it. This shouldn't be happening, but by now, Charlie was too far gone to stop it and her sexually frustrated body wanted, no, it demanded this, and so her body responded in kind, her hands caught in Joey's hair, pulling her closer, while her hips rocked along Joey's legs.

"Yes," Joey hissed. There was no barrier between them, just naked skin upon naked skin, so she could feel Charlie's wetness glide across her skin as the other woman rocked against her. Joey knew this was the biggest mistake she could be making, but no way was she putting an end to this. She wanted Charlie right now like she'd never wanted another woman. She needed more though. Her free hand found it's way between Charlie's legs. The silky wetness was hot against her fingers and oh so welcoming.

"Fuck," panted Charlie as she felt those fingers playing with her. Not quite entering her, yet teasingly close. She sighed in disappointment when those fingers disappeared from her completely.

Joey grinned at her response. It was the sign she was waiting for. The sign that Charlie wanted this as well, so who was she to deny her. Her fingers found their way back, gliding through the silky wetness, back, forth, still evading the final destination.

"Oh god, just fuck me," Charlie begged. Still Joey teased her. The tip of her finger poked inside and wiggled. Charlie's hips surged forward in reply, trying to force her deeper, but Joey pulled back. Again, the tip of Joey's finger peeked inside, then out when Charlie sought more. "Fuck," Charlie cried out in frustration. Again, the tip of Joey's finger peeked inside, only this time before she could remove it, Charlie's hand grasped Joey's wrist, holding it in place as her hips surged forward, finally sending Joey deeper. "Yes," she crowed in victory. When she was certain Joey wouldn't take her hand away again, Charlie placed her hands on the other woman's shoulders, then raised her hips, before sinking down, then up, then down, impaling herself over and over. She hissed when she felt another finger slide inside her on her downward thrust. The next thrust, there was another. Up, down, up, down, they found a glorious rhythm. Charlie threw her head back, riding against Joey's hand as hard as she could.

Joey watched her lover intently. The woman was even hotter as she panted and rocked against her. She raised her thumb, finding Charlie's clit when she sunk onto her fingers. Charlie paused at the new sensation, but only momentarily as her body renewed it delicious rise and fall. She was close, she could tell, so could Joey. As Joey plunged her depths and flicked her clit, she felt Charlie tighten against her, her body losing it's rhythm. She ducked forward, sucking one of those hardened nipples into her mouth. Remembering what Charlie had said of her preferences, Joey nibbled. It was too much for Charlie. Stars danced behind her eyes as she exploded, her body shaking and grinding against Joey.

"Beautiful," Joey whispered reverently as she watched Charlie cry out above her.

* * *

Graves crept from his bed. Sexually, she felt sufficiently fucked. He'd been a great lover, considerate of her desires and needs as much as his own, yet after many climaxes, she felt empty inside. This hadn't been her usual encounter with a random guy, where she was just looking to relieve some tension, this had been all about distracting herself from certain thoughts. And it had, until it was all over and those thoughts came flooding back.

"Fuck," she muttered as she hurriedly dressed. The more she tried to suppress her feelings for Dex, the stronger they became. Maybe she just needed to embrace them, admit she had a crush on the guy and just leave it at that. After all, it's not like she had to act on them or anything.

Graves glanced at the bed when the man moaned in his sleep. She shook her head, knowing she hadn't achieved anything here. Sighing, she closed the door behind her and headed back to her own hotel room, thankful that she and Dex had separate rooms, so she wouldn't have to face him tonight.

* * *

Charlie came down from her climax and collapsed on top of Joey. Their eyes met. No words were needed. She pressed her lips hard to Joey's, their tongues swirling as passion controlled their bodies. Breaking the kiss, Charlie next kissed Joey's chin, then downwards she went, her lips never far from Joey's naked skin. She kissed up a mound and found the peak hard and begging to be sucked. She flicked out with her tongue and smirked at the shiver from the body beneath her. Flicking again drew the same response. Charlie took the nipple into her mouth and Joey arched upward. Charlie liked that reply, so she did it again.

"God," Joey groaned. Again, then again, Charlie had Joey dancing beneath her as she moved from one nipple to the other. "I won't last," Joey warned.

"Then I'll just have to bring you again and again," Charlie joyfully teased and it very nearly sent Joey straight over the edge. Smirking, Charlie replaced her mouth with her hands. Squeezing both breasts, she began kissing her way downward once more. She could practically feel the heat from Joey's sex, even before she reached her destination. Flicking out her tongue, she sampled that nectar.

"Fuck," Joey panted, her hips rising at Charlie's touch. With her hands still squeezing those lovely mounds of flesh, Charlie went for the prize. Already wound up from watching Charlie's orgasm, Joey climaxed the moment Charlie's tongue entered her. "Yes!" cried Joey. Charlie held herself still as Joey's body rode against hers. The moment Joey's body started to relax, she darted her tongue in, then out, she flicked Joey's clit, then darted inside her. Joey's body was almost leaving the bed as she responded to Charlie's hands and tongue. Charlie wanted more though. She wanted her mouth around that quivering peak that was threatening to explode once more, and she wanted it in her mouth when it did. She moved her hands from where they'd been driving Joey crazy, and manoeuvred one of Joey's legs over her shoulder, then with her fingers, she swirled teasingly through that silky wetness.

"Oh fuck yes," Joey groaned and panted. Her eyes widened when Charlie thrust her finger right inside her without any more preamble. When Charlie's mouth captured Joey's clit between her lips and she sucked, Joey knew she was close. "Fuck, yes, so close," she panted as Charlie continued to thrust and suck. Another finger entered her and Joey exploded. "Yes!" she cried.

Charlie held her position, savouring the hard, quivering mass that exploded between her lips. That was the power she'd held over Joey, a power she still held. Without letting Joey come down from her climax, Charlie thrust and sucked harder, her fingers covered in wetness, allowing her to go deeper, faster, harder, deeper, faster, harder. Joey exploded again and Charlie continued to thrust and suck.

"Oh god, I'm coming," Joey cried, her body climax yet again and still Charlie never relented. Another finger entered her. Joey gasped. She felt full. Her hands reached blindly downward, gripping Charlie's head, her body rising and falling, seeking that precipice again. It came quickly. "Yes, yes, oh fuck, yes," she cried, her body soaring even higher. This time, Charlie allowed her to descend.

Climbing her way up Joey's body, Charlie gazed down at her. Neither woman was thinking of the consequences of what had just happened as they kissed. That they were still in danger, was forgotten. That there were trust issues between them, was forgotten. That this was all meant to be just role playing, was forgotten. All that mattered were their lips on each other and the burning desire that had yet to be sated.

Joey flipped Charlie onto her back and moved her knee between her legs. Charlie felt even wetter and warmer against her thigh. Charlie raised her own leg and Joey groaned as it pushed against her sex. They held each others gaze as they started to move, their bodies gliding easily against each other. This time when they climaxed, it was together.

"Fuck, yes," cried Charlie.

"Oh god," cried Joey. Onwards their bodies moved, the night yet young.

* * *

Leah stared in shock at the image on the screen. It had to be a mistake, right? The woman who had given her so much pleasure couldn't possibly be one of the bad guys. It seemed as though she was and it left Leah feeling torn as to what to do. She'd said nothing of the attempted rape to anyone, not to her husband and not to the cops when they had come by to question anyone who had been in the Diner the night that man had been murdered, to see if anyone had seen anything. She'd flat out lied to them, even as she'd realised that her saviour must have been the one to murder that man. As far as she was concerned, that fucker had deserved it and so she'd seen no need to dob on her lover.

Now though, they were saying that woman was bad news. A corrupt cop. She really should go straight to the cops, tell them what she knew, yet Leah's feet didn't move, her hand didn't reach for the phone. She felt no desire to act. All she felt was longing. A longing only one person had ever elicited in her. Not even the fake cock made up for it, since it was her lover's expertise with it that had made her body beg for it. Fuck, she'd made a mess of this, and as she stared at the image again, she knew the right thing to do was to pick up that phone and tell the cops everything from that night. Her hand finally reached for the phone and she dialled.

"This is Const. Handley, how may I help you?"


	27. Chapter 27

Charlie rolled onto her back with a heavy sigh. Here she'd been worried about sharing a bed with Joey, well, they'd done more than that, a hell of a lot more. Thankfully though, she'd woken to discover she was alone in the bed, which had been a massive a relief, since she wasn't sure how she could face Joey after last night. What had she been thinking? About getting some, obviously she thought with a roll of the eyes. And why shouldn't she get some after all the shit she'd been through recently? She'd been high strung from all the drama, along with being sexually frustrated and as horny as hell, so she'd found a woman to see to her needs, just like she'd done in the past. Except the women usually weren't someone she had been in charge of protecting, and while that was hardly her role now, the situation they found themselves in, still should have been enough to have made Joey strictly hands off. Instead, it had been very much hands on, along with having her fingers, tongue and mouth all over that body. And what a body it was.

She shook herself as a rush of desire raced through her at the memories of last night and pooled between her legs. Oh god, last night had been the most mindblowing and enjoyable sex she'd ever had. It had lasted well into the night. Where the energy had come from, Charlie had no idea, but neither of them had been able to get enough and when they had finally fallen asleep, it had been without words and in each other's arms. She knew they'd been in each other's arms, because she'd woken during the night to discover Joey spooned against her front, with her arm draped across her hip, her nipples pressed against hers, their legs entwined. Joey's body had felt hot against her own, yet not an uncomfortable sort of heat. Charlie had lain there for some time, trying to figure out what to do. In the end, she'd done nothing, other than close her eyes and drift off to sleep. Then when she'd woken again, that warmth was gone and she was alone.

"Shit," she muttered. Why did the best sex have to have been with entirely the wrong woman, because that's exactly what Joey was, the wrong woman. A woman with secrets, a woman of mystery, a woman who knew how to use her mouth and fingers to draw the most earth shattering orgasms from her wanton body, and still have her wanting more and more. More of Joey's mouth on her nipples, more of her fingers inside her, thrusting as hard and as deep as she could go, never relenting as Joey sucked and fucked her to oblivion and beyond. "Oh fuck," said Charlie to the empty room. After a night of sex and orgasms, surely her body was now satisfied enough, right? But no, she was once more wet between her legs just from the memories, her nipples pert as they imagined Joey's lips and teeth playing with them. It was too much. Charlie's hand cupped her breast as the other sought lower. "Jesus," she gasped at how wet she was. Even when she wasn't here, it seemed as if Joey had command of her body. Charlie found her clit and worked it hard. She wanted release before Joey returned.

* * *

Watson stared at herself in the mirror and a stranger stared back. Her hair was now shorter and darker and she'd changed from her usual natural look with makeup, by going for a more liberal, noticeable look, but without going too over the top. Also gone was the uniform. She couldn't afford to draw too much attention to herself now that her face was everywhere, so low key was now the approach. The clothes she'd picked up at the op shop weren't a perfect fit. The pants were loose, while the top was snug. A little too snug. She'd already received the odd lingering leer from a couple of blokes and even one woman, which hadn't been her intention, but hey, if all they were noticing was her chest and not her face, then that was to her advantage.

"God, I hope no one I know sees me in this," she muttered. It definitely wasn't her style, but she had a feeling she was going to have to be altering her appearance even after she caught up with those bitches. Oh well, consider this practice for when she had to disappear for good.

She picked up the keys to her newly purchased second hand car. Like her clothing, she hadn't been picky in her purchase, her only requirement being that it had to have a working air-conditioner. Watson jumped when her phone blared to life. Checking the number, she sighed with relief that it wasn't the Braxtons. They were going to be pissed enough that she was still avoiding their calls. It was a number she did recognise though and she answered a little apprehensively.

"Hey Steph," she said.

"They've started talking to everyone who knows you," Steph said straight away.

"I expected they would," she said. "I'm not worried, those who really know me won't say anything, and the rest can only talk about what I let them believe about me."

"I just thought I'd warn you."

"Thanks," she said. "What about you?" Watson could almost feel the smile she knew was now on the other woman's face.

"They spoke to me earlier," replied Steph. "Of course, I told them the truth, that I only knew you from when you called in requesting information, oh and that I hadn't heard from you in some time."

"I bet you were the picture of innocence."

"Damn right I was," she said. "Man, I should chuck this job in and become an actress."

"All the awards would go to you."

"Absolutely," said Steph. "You just watch yourself now, one slip up and they'll have you."

"Don't worry, I have all the motivation I need to not fuck this up."

* * *

Charlie climaxed against her hand, her eyes squeezed shut as her body arched from the bed. The lips on her nipples sent her even higher. The lips on her nipples? Her eyes flew open and met those of last night's lover. So lost in her own pleasuring, she hadn't heard Joey return, hadn't felt her join her on the bed and move over her. It was only when her nipple had been engulfed into the warmth of Joey's mouth, had she felt her. Oh god, she wanted to feel even more than that and she sighed in pleasure when Joey's hand joined hers between her legs. Entwined, their fingers entered her together. Only two, but it was enough, especially when their thumbs rubbed against her clit.

"Oh fuck," panted Charlie, her hips rising and falling against their hands. It didn't take her long at all before she was arching yet again in climax.

"That's what I like to come back to," Joey said, kissing Charlie on the lips. She'd left Charlie's side as quickly as she could that morning, pissed at herself for having allowed last night to happen. The encounter had stirred something inside her that she had spent the morning trying very hard to push down again. This wasn't the time, nor the place to develop anything for this woman, yet all the admonishment she'd been giving to herself that morning, had evaporated the moment when she'd walked through that door and seen Charlie masturbating on the bed they'd shared last night. Without thought, she'd stripped and joined Charlie on the bed.

"This is so wrong," Charlie murmured against Joey's lips.

"So very wrong," agreed Joey as their legs interlocked. They moved together in an easy rhythm, their lips never parting as they thrust against each other. It was unhurried, taking their time. When they came, it was together.

* * *

"Do you think it will work?" Dex asked his partner.

"Sorry?" replied Graves, her thoughts still preoccupied by her activities the previous evening. It really had achieved little, except for some general soreness today.

"The media blitz," he said with a nod of his head toward the radio.

"God I hope so," Graves mumbled. Robertson had filled her in on what was behind the media release, and for why he'd left out mentioning Buckton and Collins. She just bloody hoped it worked so she could get back home and to her real job. And away from her temporary partner before she did something dumb.

* * *

With her body still glistening in the aftermath from their latest sexual encounter, Joey rolled away from Charlie and off the bed. "I brought us some breakfast," she said as she picked up the items she'd abandoned earlier, along with her clothes. "And this." She tossed the newspaper onto the bed next to Charlie.

"They went public," murmured Charlie.

"Not completely," she said. "They left us out of the loop."

"Why?"

"Who knows," she replied. "Oh, and your mate Nick wasn't mentioned as one of the suspects when they talked about dirty cops."

"That doesn't mean anything," said Charlie. "We don't know how high this goes or how much information they have on others."

"True." She smiled at Charlie. "It's got you thinking though, hasn't it?"

Charlie nodded. "I don't ever want to underestimate him again, but part of me still can't believe Nick is dirty, even after he was behind sending Watson and his own brother-in-law after me," she said. "It's just not the man I knew."

"Not everyone is," said Joey. "And aren't the best dirty cops, those who can successfully fool everyone over a period of time?"

"Yeah, I guess so," she said. "Don't worry, I'm not about to start trusting him or anything like that."

"Good, because right now, the only two people we can trust, is each other."

"Speaking of that," murmured Charlie. "Joey, about what has happened between us since last night."

"What about it?" she said as casually as she could. "You think it was a mistake or something?"

"Don't you?"

"It was just sex Charlie, no big deal," she stated matter-of-factly. "Or aren't you into casual sex?"

"No, I am, I just don't think this was the right situation to be having sex with each other, that's all."

"I wanted sex, you wanted sex, seems like the right situation to have sex to me," she said with a grin she didn't quite feel.

"You know what I meant."

Joey looked at the other woman. "Charlie, we're two women who have been through a lot together, who then found themselves in the moment and so went for it," she said. "It doesn't have to mean anything at all, beyond that we both enjoyed ourselves immensely." She smirked at Charlie and said teasingly, "Or are you going to tell me that you didn't enjoy it."

"Of course I enjoyed it."

"Then there's no problem," she said, except for the rise in feelings she didn't want to deal with. "And hey, look at it this way. After being so intimate with each other, it's going to make posing as girlfriends a breeze."

"Yeah," murmured Charlie. If only it was so easy to ignore the consequences of last night.

* * *

"Hey, isn't this the woman that was in here the other day?" Leah's friend and work colleague, Tess asked. "You know, the one who lit up a ciggie."

Leah looked at the paper, her heart thumbing at the familiar face, then she shook her head. "Nah, that woman was prettier and more stockier than this one," Leah said. She still felt guilty for not going through with dobbing her lover in, but only a little. She really had been all set to spill the beans, but the moment the Constable had answered, she'd had a sudden change of heart, and after stumbling over some vague questions about if it was safe in the area after the murder as an excuse for her call, she'd hung up. Fuck doing the right thing. The bastard had tried to rape her and had apparently raped other women, so to her, his death was his just desserts. As for her lover. Well, she'd had no real idea who the woman was when they'd spent the night together, not even a name, and she certainly had no idea where she was going or what she was after, so it wasn't as if there was anything she could tell the cops that would help them to catch her.

"Reading this, she sounds like a right bitch," Tess murmured.

"Don't believe everything you read in the paper," Leah said. "They always embellish everything for maximum effect." She didn't care what they wrote. She owed that woman, first for saving her from being raped, then for showing her what passion really was, which was sadly lacking now that she was back to being the boring wife to an often absent husband. Regardless of that, she'd never forget what that woman had done for her, and in that moment, she swore to herself that she would never reveal their secrets to another soul.


	28. Chapter 28

Welcome to the New Year! Normal service has resumed :-)

* * *

As Charlie swam effortlessly through the water, part of her was still a little shocked by her behaviour. She'd had sex with Joey. Not once, but multiple times. Even after breakfast, they'd found themselves back in bed and going for it like a couple of horny teenagers who had never experienced sex before and couldn't get enough of the experience. She didn't like this out of control feeling, yet she also did. She enjoyed the sex. A lot. It was more the fact that the most enjoyable sex she'd ever had, had been with Joey. Last night, and again this morning, Joey hadn't been the woman she'd mistrusted for days, she'd been her lover, so where did that leave her now? If she could trust her in the most intimate way possible, why couldn't she trust her in the cold light of day? Because you know she's keeping things from you, she reminded herself. Yet that was no different to last night. Joey had still been keeping things from her when she'd gone down on her, she'd known Joey had never been entirely forthcoming about her past, even as she brought her to another orgasm, and she hadn't cared at the time. Had she been so desperate for sex that she'd been willing to just disregard everything? Yes, was the quick reply, followed by a no. Or maybe just a little. Well, whatever her reasons for allowing last night and this morning to happen, Joey had been right. It was just sex. Meaningless sex. Glorious and mindboggling sex, but meaningless.

Charlie dived under the water, not really convinced by that. One thing was certain though. Her reaction today told her that she should have been stronger and denied Joey in the bedroom, hell, even gone out and found a woman and screwed her brains out. Yeah, that'd have been good for their ruse if that had ever gotten around town. The water lapped at her. She was determined not to let this get in her way though. She couldn't afford to. Ok, so she'd had great sex, her itch had been well and truly scratched, then scratched again and again, so just accept it and move on. To where? She needed to work out her next move.

Figuring out her father's former colleagues and contacts. In truth, she'd given it little thought since they'd arrived in town, but if she was to end this saga, she needed to. Trouble was, such a move would require a level of trust she was in short supply of, because as Joey had pointed out earlier that morning, the only two people they could trust, was each other, even if it wasn't absolute trust. Charlie nearly snorted under the water at that thought. Of course it wasn't absolute trust, there was no way known she'd ever entirely trust Joey, because the woman would never entirely be open with her. Did she actually want that from Joey? Would knowing more about Joey make it easier or make things worse? Given some of her thoughts as to whom Joey really could be, she suspected knowing the truth would make their working relationship stretch even thinner.

"Fuck," she muttered as she resurfaced. Even thinking about her next move somehow came back to thoughts of Joey.

Charlie suddenly found herself sprayed with water. She turned around to glare at the offender. Joey was grinning broadly and though Charlie would never say it aloud, she found the other woman incredibly hot and appealing in her bikini. It also made her feel overdressed in her dull, one piece. At least it protected her from lustful gazes, though Joey had this way of looking at her that made her feel naked. Oh god, why did she have to think that?

"People are watching," Joey said as she drifted closer in the water to her. "Let's give them a convincing show." Charlie had no chance to reply as Joey's lips found hers. She wasn't sure that they really needed to do much more to convince others that their fake relationship was real, since Pippa and Irene had been totally convinced just over a meal. No doubt, by having sex, the dynamic would also have changed between them, making it easier to be comfortable with PDA's. Part of her wished it had had the opposite effect, but as Joey's lips worked over hers, Charlie found herself melting into it.

Damn. It was so hard not to run her hand along Joey's hip, to her belly, then lower, to seek out that wet warmth she knew would be waiting for her, but being arrested for public indecency would be a humiliating way to risk having their cover blown, all because she couldn't keep her hormones in check. My god, what was it about this woman that made her act like this? Joey's nipples were hard against hers, the thin layer of material doing little to disguise her arousal. Joey's reactions certainly weren't helping her own and in that moment, she hated Joey.

Fucking hell, get a hold of yourself you crazy woman, Joey told herself as her body continued to do as it pleased, which right now, was gyrating under the water against the rather lovely and warm body of Charlie. How was it possible to feel so warm in the cold water? If her own body was any hotter, the water would be boiling around them. She was out of control. All her life she'd been smart, it was how she had survived, yet it was quickly becoming clear that she was now in a situation where she found herself out of her depth. She didn't know what to do. Kiss her harder, stupid. Except that wasn't the right thing to do, even as she deepened the kiss.

Her lips were so soft, Charlie bemoaned as she opened her mouth to Joey's insistent tongue. Her legs circled Joey's waist as Joey's hands squeezed her buttocks. Somehow they both managed to stay afloat. If she didn't put a stop to this, Charlie knew they'd be naked and fucking in full view of everyone.

"We have to stop," she managed to gasp out between kisses.

"I know," murmured Joey, renewing the deep kiss that threatened to suck all thought from Charlie's mind. Crazy, it was all so crazy and so totally out of character. Once more, Charlie found herself hating this woman for what she was doing to her. She didn't care that it was her own behaviour that was also allowing this, it was all Joey's fault. Everything was Joey's fault, right down to them being on the run and stuck in this hick town. It was all Joey.

Charlie groaned. Yep, latching onto Joey like a starfish in heat was all the other woman's fault. Oh just give it up, she told herself. There was no point in trying to resist. The deed was done and there was no further point in pretending anything differently; she enjoyed having sex with Joey, and would again, so just go with it.

"I think we should go back to the cabin," Joey said, suddenly breaking away. She got no argument from Charlie as they both swam toward the shore, oblivious to the smirks of some of the beach goers.

They didn't even notice the young man who walked passed their car before Joey started it.

"What are you smirking at?" Casey asked as he raced over to Ruby.

"Just watching our new tenants nearly going for it with each other in the water."

"Seriously?"

Ruby grinned and nodded. "They were all over each other."

"I guess they must be in love."

"Looks like it," she said, suddenly feeling bashful. Her feelings for Casey had caught her off guard, and as much as she wanted to heed her mothers' and her own warnings, she knew she was falling quickly in love with him. She didn't want him to leave.

"Ready for a swim?" Casey asked, unaware of Ruby's inner turmoil.

"Yeah," she said and followed him to the water.

* * *

"You're all over the fucking news!" Brax screamed down the phone when Watson finally decided to answer it. "And you've dragged me fucking into it."

"Not my fault," she replied.

"You fucking let them get away!" he screeched. "And blew your fucking cover in the process!"

"The media are only interested in me, because of you and your suspected misdeeds," she pointed out. "Otherwise they would hardly give two shits about another crooked cop."

She could practically feel him shaking with rage through the phone.

"Look," she said in a more conciliatory tone. "Yell at me when I get back, but until then, how about you and Heath stop calling every five seconds and just let me do my job." So that I can then get the hell out of dodge.

"Find them," he said through gritted teeth. "Then get your arse back here."

He hung up before she said anything more.

"Prick," she muttered. He always had been, for as long as she'd known him, but the perks had generally made up for it. That was all pretty much down the drain now and she suspected if he still saw any use for her, it would be on her back, with her legs wide open, servicing him and every other creep in the organisation. No way in hell was she going to be used like that.

* * *

"Oh yes," Joey gasped. Her legs were over the edge of the bed, draped casually over Charlie's shoulders as the other woman knelt between her legs. Charlie's fingers and tongue had set a determined pace, a pace Joey was more than willing to go along with. Twice already she'd climaxed since their return to the cabin. They'd barely made it to the bed when they'd fallen upon each other, their clothes long forgotten by the door. Joey didn't care how desperate she'd become, only her next climax mattered and Charlie was making sure that was coming quickly.

"Fuck," groaned Joey, her body rocking against Charlie. She felt powerless. It was a feeling she loathed, but the joy her body felt whenever in Charlie's arms was something more. It made her not care. At least until it was over and she had the ability to think again. Even then, she doubted she'd do anything to stop this from happening again. To feel this, her body alive, every nerve on fire, utter breathlessness at the sheer magnitude of the feelings coursing through her body, then she'd gladly allow herself to be powerless.

Her body soared and she cried out as she came. "Charlie!"

Charlie kissed her way up the naked body, taking her time to cover as much skin as she could, especially around those mounds which she'd quickly come to enjoy so much.

Joey was panting heavily by the time Charlie kissed her way to her lips. She doubted they'd see much of the outside world for the rest of the day, she thought as she flipped Charlie onto her back and treated her to the same delicious delights she'd just endured.

* * *

Joey's earlier assessment had been largely right. They'd barely left the cabin for the rest of the day, except for food and drink. They certainly needed it after the workout they'd had. Joey rolled over. Charlie was dozing next to her. God she was beautiful and Joey knew things had gone well beyond this just being sex. Nothing could happen though. Not ever. Charlie would never have a bar of her if she knew the real truth. She sighed. This was all she'd ever have with Charlie. Sex and secrets. It hurt, but that's what happened when you lived your life a certain way. You had to deal with the consequences and for her, it was missing out on a life with a woman she had fallen in love with. There, she'd admitted it. She was in love with Charlie. So very much in love. There was no point denying it or wondering why it happened or if she could have stopped it, for the damage was already done. She was in love with the most beautiful and amazing woman she'd ever met. And it could go nowhere. Her life sucked. She sighed again. All she could do was enjoy being with Charlie for as long as it lasted, which wouldn't be long. Charlie wanted out and she'd be doing everything she could to find that way out, then it would all be over. She'd be alone, hopefully alive and free, but alone. Her heart felt like it had been stomped on. This wasn't how it was meant to be. If only she'd had more time to see her plan through, this all could have been avoided. But then she'd never have met Charlie. Good, because then she wouldn't be feeling like this.

Joey continued to stare at Charlie. Her body was aglow in the evening light still streaming in through the window, giving her an ethereal appearance. No, she didn't regret meeting Charlie, only the circumstances in which they met. God, it was going to be so hard to walk away when the time came, but she had no choice.

Do it now, it'll be less painful, part of her warned. She couldn't though. Leaving Charlie to fend for herself when people were out to kill them, was not exactly the way you treated someone you loved. No, she had to see this through with Charlie, and then disappear into the sunset where no one, not even Charlie, could ever find her. Maybe she'd even be lucky and she'd find a new woman to help her get over Charlie. Fat chance, she thought.

With care not to wake Charlie, Joey leant over and kissed her gently on the lips. "I love you," she whispered, then rolled from the bed. She needed fresh air.

* * *

On her hands and knees, Hayley stared into his pain filled eyes as Tegan fucked her from behind. They'd caught him by surprise and dragged him out here into the bush, where no one could hear his agony as Tegan used her knife to illicit information. Unfortunately, he'd yet to reveal what they wanted to know, but it was only a matter of time before he did. They always broke in the end, and when he did, they'd have those women in their hands, and oh the wonderful things they would do to those bitches turned her on like nothing else.

Tegan grunted behind her as her thrusting picked up. Hayley loved it. The twigs digging into her knees and palms, the noises of the bush, his moans of pain and distress, it all drove her to even greater heights.

"Harder baby," she begged. Tegan gripped her hips and thrust hard, sending the fake cock deeper than ever. "Yes!" shouted Hayley, screaming at the top of her lungs as she came. Tegan kept hammering away, their skin coated in blood, bathed in moonlight, as their howls of pleasure drowned out his pitiful cries.

He glared at them with utter hatred. He couldn't move, his bindings held him tight. Nor could he look away, his current position not allowing him to turn his head elsewhere. Nor could he close his eyes, because he feared what they'd do to him if he didn't see them coming, so he watched their debortuary, hating them with a fearful rage.


	29. Chapter 29

A new day, a new resolve, Charlie told herself. Today was the day she got serious about planning her way out of this mess. She looked down at the blank page before her. Just how exactly did she work out which of her father's old contacts to trust and which to steer clear of though? What criteria should she use? If they were still serving officers, should she automatically exclude them from the list? Not every single cop was dirty, she was proof of that, but how did she choose the right one? Oh god, this really wasn't going to be as easy as she'd hoped. She had to start somewhere though. She wrote Pros/Cons at the top of the page, then wracked her brain for the names she could remember her father mentioning, and also those she had actually met at some stage.

* * *

"I hear the local beachgoers had quite the show yesterday," Pippa said as Joey stood next to her at the counter, waiting for their separate orders. Joey went bright red. The intention had been to give any viewers a show, but going by the comments she'd been overhearing and Pippa's remark, they'd perhaps taken it a little too far.

"Ah, to be young and in love," Pippa said with a smile. "I sometimes long to have those days back, but then I remember, that when I was young, Irene wasn't a part of my life back then."

"What about longing for being young and with Irene?" teased Joey.

"We could have had some adventures, that's for sure," said a wistful Pippa. "Still, I wouldn't change a thing. Irene may not have been the first to walk into my life, but she'll certainly be the last," she said. "We've had a good 25 years together already, and I'm hoping for another 25 and more."

"Having such a long and strong relationship sounds absolutely wonderful," Joey said.

"It is and you and Charlie will experience if for yourselves," Pippa told her. "I said the other night you two will go the distance and that view has only strengthened since then."

"It's certainly not something I was thinking of when we first met," said Joey. That Charlie was a beautiful woman yes, but the rest? Definitely not. Her thoughts back then had always been about getting the hell away from Charlie and the others, yet despite having numerous opportunities in which to abandon Charlie, she hadn't. It wasn't just because of love, that was only a new observation she'd accepted, but it was out of responsibility. Charlie was only in this mess because of her, so she owed it to the other woman to help her through it. She was going to have to abandon her eventually though. She just couldn't hang around and risk the truth coming out, because then she'd never be free. It wasn't a day she looked forward to though. Saying goodbye to Charlie really was going to be hard when the time eventually came.

"It's not always something you're thinking of when you first meet someone, not unless you believe in love at first sight," Pippa said. "But even if it's not love at first sight, you soon know when she's the one you want to spend your future with."

"Charlie is definitely that person for me," Joey said with absolute honesty. It wasn't ever going to be a possibility though, and if Pippa knew the real truth behind their association, Joey wondered whether she'd be as convinced about their so-called love, as she was now. A totally one-sided love, Joey thought morosely.

"Well, here's my order," Pippa said. "It was nice chatting to you again Joey and if you ever tire of ordering out all the time, feel free to drop into the house. You and Charlie are always welcome to join us for a meal."

"Thanks, we may take you up on that."

"As long as you can peel yourself away from each other for long enough," Pippa couldn't resist adding. Joey just smiled, because it pretty much was the truth. Once she and Charlie had given in that first time, they'd pretty much become joined at the hip. And everywhere else, Joey thought with a blush. She no longer cared though, as she intended to enjoy every moment of intimacy before she disappeared from Charlie's life forever.

* * *

Charlie stared at the list of names. It was short, like four names and to her dismay, there were more Cons, than Pros next to each name. Maybe she should just give in and contact Robertson. Unfortunately, what made her more wary of him, than the names already on her list, was the clear indication that he and Nick were working together. She sure as hell didn't trust Nick, so where did that place Robertson? She remained undecided where Robertson was concerned, yet in spite of that, she added him to the list, with his connection to Nick in the Cons.

Charlie tapped the pencil against the page. Her decision on who to reach out to didn't have to come today, but she knew that she was going to have to bite the bullet eventually and contact someone, because she couldn't go on the run forever, even if Joey seemed to like that idea. Charlie sighed. Joey. It was getting harder to deny to herself that she was developing more than just a passing interest in Joey beyond the sex. It was the last thing she wanted and her complete and utter lack of control around Joey concerned her. She couldn't afford to let what was going on with Joey, influence her in any way, or distract her from her goal of sorting this mess out, but there was a part of her that worried that she was already being influenced. This list now before her should have been her priority the day they arrived in Summer Bay, yet it wasn't, nor had it been the priority yesterday, where instead, she'd spent most of the day in bed with Joey fucking their brains out. Already she could have reached a decision, but she hadn't, because she'd allowed Joey to distract her. Then there was the other issue. What became of Joey once she reached that decision? Joey had made it clear numerous times, that she had no intention of ever returning to police custody, yet could she allow Joey to just walk away, which would go against her duties as a police officer and as Joey's protector.

Charlie snorted. It was safe to say that their bed sport went completely against her duties and role of protector, so it'd be a bit rich of her to then expect Joey to go back to accepting their previous roles, especially after they'd both willing succumbed to each other. And it wasn't just that they'd had sex with each other, the situation had already changed between them even before that, thanks to the fact they were both on the run, and were reliant on each other as equals to get through this. Still, Charlie felt it did leave her with a dilemma, because even though the dynamic had changed between them, she still felt protective of Joey and it would feel like she was abandoning her by letting Joey go on alone, even if it was Joey's choice. What if something were to happen to Joey if she allowed her to just walk away?

"Not my problem," she told herself, yet she knew she'd feel responsible should Joey end up in danger, hence her dilemma. Force Joey to return to police custody, and testify against some very dangerous men, or let her run and risk something untoward happening to her. Not to mention, risk allowing the Braxtons to yet again get away with murder. There was another reason why she didn't want Joey to go, but as she'd already said, it was the last thing she wanted, so she intended to ignore those feelings and pretend they didn't exist.

Charlie looked up from her musings and smiled when Joey walked into the cabin. It had been an automatic gesture at seeing the other woman, and Charlie was completely unaware of it, just as she was unaware of how eagerly she stood and went over to Joey. Their lips met in a long, passionate kiss, the food Joey had just brought, forgotten as the bag hit the floor, along with their clothes. Another afternoon was going to be lost beneath the sheets, and neither woman cared.

* * *

He groaned as he was thrown around the boot of the car. It was almost as if they were deliberately finding, then driving over every pothole so he'd feel every bump and bruise. As it was, his body ached from the torture they'd put him through. He could feel the blood seeping from his wounds, even in the dark, crampness of the boot. He didn't know how much longer he could endure this, and they weren't even done with him. He had to find a way out and warn his friend before it was too late.


	30. Chapter 30

Charlie had finally managed to drag herself away from Joey's side without too much of the afternoon being lost, and found her way to the local library. After speaking to the librarian, Charlie walked over to the computers. It was time to do a bit of research on those she'd placed on her list. She hadn't told Joey where she'd been going or why, because, well because, she honestly didn't know why she didn't tell her. Joey knew she wanted to find a solution to their predicament, so actually doing something about it wouldn't really come as a surprise to Joey. So why then didn't she tell her what she was planning to do? Charlie hadn't even mentioned the list, though she was certain that Joey had seen the notepad on the table.

She sighed. Even now, they were keeping secrets from each other. Not even allowing herself to be distracted by sex and multiple orgasms, had completely broken through the mistrust, not that Charlie had expected it to, but given what she was doing here impacted on both her and Joey's future, then she really should have mentioned it. Yet she hadn't. That should tell her something. Yeah, she had to protect Joey, yet get her out of her life, and so the quicker this was over, the better, she decided.

Taking the list out, Charlie reread the names, along with their pros and cons. She'd added a couple of more names since she'd first started the list, so here's hoping at least one of them turned out to be the right one. Charlie typed the first name into Google. She'd figured her best option was to check out newspaper reports and any other mention of them within the media. At least that way, she could better gauge her choices.

* * *

Nick glanced at the calendar on his desk. He didn't really need to, as he already knew what day it was. It was D-Day. The day he had to produce Charlie and the witness or Robertson would go public with their flight. If that happened, Nick feared that he'd never see either woman again, alive or dead. Unfortunately, he couldn't think of a single argument to stall Robertson any further, because he was bereft of ideas himself as to what more he could do. Charlie hadn't responded to his messages in the Personals and since he had no other way to contact her, Charlie was beyond his reach. He just hoped she was also beyond the Braxton's reach. Nick dreaded to think what would happen should Watson or another of Braxton's thugs catch up to them before his colleagues did.

He shook his head in resignation and prayed that Charlie could keep ahead and safe from them all, or better yet, go to the nearest Police Station. He understood why she continued to mistrust the uniform, but the Charlie he knew wouldn't want to run forever, so there had to come a time where she had to take the first step, and make contact with someone. His choice would be Robertson, he just wasn't sure Charlie would see it the same way, since Robertson's name was linked so closely to his own. Perhaps if he'd stepped down from the investigation, then Charlie would have been more inclined to have contacted Robertson herself, but if he had stepped aside, Robertson would likely have already outed both women to the media. Whatever he had decided to do, Nick realised it really wouldn't have made much difference, because Charlie would still be out there, wondering who she could trust.

Nick reached for the report in front of him. At least they'd found the person responsible for arranging to have Watson added to the detail. Though he'd denied all knowledge previously, once pressed a little harder, Peter Baker had cracked. Turns out his brother had a gambling problem and had gotten in too deep with the Braxtons, and they'd used Dan Baker's debt to blackmail Peter. Baker claimed he hadn't had a choice, yet as far as Nick was concerned, he could have gone to a colleague the moment the Braxtons had made the approach, and then something could have been done about his brother's debts. Instead, Baker had fed information to the Braxtons about two cases, one in which led to a witness retracting their statement, causing the entire case against the Braxtons to fall over. Then of course, there was this case. The Braxtons had always known that there had been a witness to Ryan's murder, and their original plan had been to have Baker feed them information on the witness' location so they could plan a way to take her out, only then Jack Holden's personal problems had presented them with the perfect opportunity to actually have someone placed in a position to do the deed themselves. They'd applied the pressure to Baker, who then set up Watson as Jack's replacement.

Unfortunately, given Baker had been an unwilling Braxton pawn, he had limited information in which to help bring them down. He knew nothing of Watson, beyond what was in her file and that the Braxtons had specifically asked for her to be on the detail. Beyond that, he was of little help to them. A shame really, because if he'd had information to share, Baker may have been in a position to do a deal to lessen the charges he was facing. As it was, Baker had been suspended without pay, pending further investigation. Nick just hoped he was the only mole left in the Force, though they hadn't stopped looking for dirty cops or for cops who were in a similar position like Baker, who were open to being blackmailed.

Nick jumped when his phone blared to life. It was probably Robertson, warning him that his time was running out.

"Parish," he said.

"Rosetta is dead," was Robertson's abrupt message.

* * *

His hands were handcuffed behind the chair. His old wounds still ached, the fresh ones slowly leaked blood. He was naked. The knife dangerously close to his manhood.

"No more," he said, sounding defeated.

"If you don't want to become a Eunich, talk," Tegan warned him as she casually tapped the knife on his thigh.

He hesitated, then nodded.

"Good boy," Tegan said.

* * *

Charlie flinched at the sight of a familiar uniform walking past the desk she was sitting at. It was a woman. Dark hair, attractive, about late 20s/early 30s, her eyes firmly fixed on her target. Not her, thankfully, it was a scruffy, hippy type character with a big, warm smile that had this woman's entire attention. A couple, going by that rather enthusiastic greeting they just gave each other. Charlie smiled. Ah to be in love, something she had little experience with. An image came to mind, but she hastily shook that loose. Loving sex with someone was a lot different to being in love, she told herself.

Without appearing too obvious, Charlie kept an eye on the couple and opened her ears, trying to overhear them. Constable T. Garner, going by her nametag, was on her break, and she called him, Miles. Miles? Why was that name familiar? Ah, that's right, Pippa and Irene's son. Now Charlie could also place the woman. Born and bred in the country, Teri Garner was as honest as they came and if Pippa had her way, her future daughter-in-law. An honest cop, it seemed such a novelty under the current circumstances, Charlie thought somewhat bemusedly, yet she had no reason to doubt Pippa's summation of the woman. If anything, Pippa and Irene weren't the type to hold back their opinion on someone, regardless of whether it was passing judgement on one their children's prospective partners or not, so if Pippa thought Teri Garner was honest, then she was more than likely an honest person. Honest enough for a cop on the run to trust? That was another question entirely.

Teri laughed at something Miles said, then looked guilty when the librarian threw her some shade. She had a nice laugh, thought Charlie.

"I'd better get back to work," Teri told her boyfriend.

"A little bit longer," he said, nuzzling at her neck.

"Miles, what would your mums say about you acting like this in public," she gently admonished him.

"Find a room to be together," he smugly replied. "How about it?"

Laughing again at his cheek, Teri shook her head. "Unlike you, I'm not on my day off, so I have a boss to keep happy."

"Fitzy's a pussy cat."

"I'll tell her you said that."

She laughed at the look of horror on his face, then planted her lips on his. "I love you, but I prefer you alive, so let's not piss off the boss."

"Good idea."

The Constable was walking by her again. It would be so easy for Charlie to intercept her and tell her what was going on and that she needed help. Charlie was hesitant to step forward though. After everything they'd been through, would it really be fair to Joey to make this decision without her, given how opposed she was to it in the past? Running background checks was one thing, but actually contacting the Police without warning Joey? The Constable was now past her, time was running out. Yet Charlie remained torn as to whether to go after her or not.

* * *

Kyle was worried. He'd reluctantly followed Brax's orders and sent Stu after Casey, but he'd sent him in the opposite direction of where he knew Casey to be. Problem was, Pee Wee and Brodie had then decided to go after Casey themselves. They'd been in the doghouse ever since their failed pursuit of the women, and so were keen to get away from Brax and his flailing fists, and also to get back into his good books. Unfortunately, with Stu going one way, the other two had chosen to go down along the coast. Straight to where Casey was. By Kyle's reckoning, they could be right on top of Casey within hours. He had to find a way to warn him, only he was stuck in the car with Pee Wee and Brodie after he'd foolishly decided to join them, having figured he could give Casey the heads up if they got too close. He glanced at his mobile. Still no signal and it was getting low on charge. Kyle needed to get to a pay phone. And quick.

"Hey," he called out. "I'm getting hungry, can we stop at the next town?"

"Maybe," said Pee Wee, focused on the road ahead of him. This was one assignment he wasn't going to fuck up.

Kyle didn't press the issue again. He'd wait until they arrived at the next town before broaching it again. He just hoped he was able to get word to Casey before it was too late.

* * *

Joey stared at the phone in her hand. One call to the right person, and this could all be over. It would also mean that Charlie would have to learn the truth about who she really was. Joey closed her eyes. This was one of the hardest decisions she ever had to make. Make the call, and the woman she loved would never look at her in the same way. Don't make the call, and she could be signing their death warrant, because no matter how much belief Joey had in both of their abilities to stay alive, the Braxtons had an endless supply of thugs and killers to send after them, and they'd never stop until they were dead. While Joey was perfectly happy to disappear for good, forever looking over her shoulder for oncoming danger, Charlie was never going to agree to it, which meant their only way out of this, was to remove the danger completely. The Braxtons had to be destroyed, not as in killed, though that had a certain appeal, but it would be nigh on impossible to get that close to all of them to achieve that, so all that was left, was to crush them so badly, that their power was lost, so that even from jail, they couldn't reach out. Destroy them, destroy their powerbase, destroy their minions. Destroy them all.

It was within Joey's power to do so. It had been her backup plan from the start, only Charlie's presence had changed things. Yet now she knew she had to make the call. If she delayed any longer, she knew she wouldn't be able to leave Charlie, that she'd fall deeper in love than she ever had before. She had to do this, regardless of what Charlie ended up thinking of her.

"Besides, I'm going to be leaving Charlie behind anyway, so who cares if she hates my guts when I'm no longer around to see it in her eyes," she told herself without much conviction as she began to dial the number.

"Yeah?" the gruff voice on the other end said.

"I need you to bring it," she said. "All of it."

"Now?" the voice said. "Are you sure? I thought you needed more time."

"That's no longer possible," she said. "Ryan's death changed the timetable and there's been other complications since then, some unforseen. I can't wait any longer."

"What sort of complications?"

"Look, I just need you to bring the stuff so I can end this once and for all."

There was a pause from the other end and Joey thought she could hear voices in the background, but she was growing impatient.

"I don't know how close they are, but I can't take any more chances," Joey tried to explain. "It needs to end."

"Tell me where you are and I can be there by tonight."

* * *

Tegan whistled happily as she drove. They now knew where their quarry was and they had enough of a head start on everyone else to get there first. Within hours, they'd have those women lying naked before them, terrified and cowering as they murdered them. Maybe they'd first have a little other fun with them too, especially the one she couldn't wait to get her hands on. Oh god, she was going to enjoy this so much.

* * *

The two words reverberated in Graves' mind. They knew where Charlie and their witness was and they were racing toward them. Hopefully, they would reach them in time.


	31. Chapter 31

"The Braxtons must be getting desperate to do this right under our noses," Robertson said when Nick eventually joined him at the hospital. Telling his wife that her brother was dead had been a nightmare and by comparison, dealing with Robertson felt like a relief.

"Angelo wasn't even talking to us," said Nick.

"Obviously they're covering their bases to ensure Rosetta never had a change of heart." Robertson then said a little more seriously to Nick. "How is your wife holding up?"

"She's shattered," he admitted. "It was hard enough for her to accept Angelo's corruption, this is going to take a little longer," he said. "How did it happen?"

"One of the male nurse's uniforms was snatched from his locker, so our killer strolled right past the guards we had stationed at Rosetta's door," Robertson explained. "Walked right in and smothered Rosetta with his own pillow."

"Any idea who it was?"

Robertson nodded. "He did a good job of keeping his face away from the cameras in the locker room and the corridors, but he missed the cameras the hospital had recently placed in the stairwells after there had been a series of falls," he said. "We got him in all his glory. Hammer Pirovic," he told Nick. "Rosetta was smothered by his own lover."

"I wish I could say I was surprised," murmured Nick.

"The Pirovics were definitely looking out for their own interests, but there was no way they'd risk killing a cop, even a corrupt one, without the approval of the Braxtons. A dead cop, especially one with a connection to them, just brings too much heat on them all, so it's never something they do lightly."

"Well, the heats just been turned up."

"I do love it when they get cocky or desperate and it gets them caught," Robertson smugly said. "I've sent uniforms around to pick Hammer up."

"He won't talk."

"Perhaps, but his lips may loosen if he fears suffering the same fate as his lover if we press him hard enough," Robertson stated.

"I hope so," he said.

"Now, there's another matter that also needs to be dealt with," said Robertson. "I'll need you to finish up here and arrange for the media release."

Nick nodded. "Good luck," he said.

* * *

Joey paced nervously at the meeting site. He'd called ahead, letting her know he was nearly here. She was growing impatient. The timing still didn't feel right, as not everything was in place, but she couldn't put this off any longer. It was too dangerous, both by her staying here and for Charlie to be around her.

* * *

Charlie returned to the cabin, still feeling a little uneasy over the decision she'd made. It was a relief then, to find that Joey was nowhere in sight, which meant she could put the upcoming confrontation off for a little longer yet. She definitely wasn't looking forward to it, that was for sure.

Dropping her bag on the table, she pulled out her notepad. She'd managed to track down information on nearly all the people on her list, and in two cases, she'd added to the Pros column next to their names, so that they now had more Pros, than Cons. It all might be for nothing though, depending on how the next few hours panned out. She really hoped she hadn't made a mistake.

Charlie looked around the room. It felt weird to be here alone or anywhere alone for the matter. Ever since this had all started, she'd barely had a moment just to herself, so this afternoon had made a pleasant change, yet now that she was back at the cabin, it really didn't feel right. Perhaps it was just her worry for Joey, for as long as they were in eyesight of each other, they knew there was a level of safety around them, but when they were apart, there was a sense of worry. Charlie glanced at her watch. It was 5.30 and still no sign of Joey. That worry was starting to grow a little more concerning.

* * *

"Elijah," Joey said as she rushed to give the man a hug the moment he got out of his car. "You made good time."

"I'd been waiting for your call ever since this all kicked off, so I had everything ready in preparation."

"It's a mess Elijah," she told him as she stepped back.

"I'm sorry I ever got you into this," he said. "I taught you those things to keep you safe, I never expected you to follow in my footsteps."

"It's not your fault, Elijah," Joey assured him. "You tried to warn me away, but I couldn't help myself."

"If I'd been a better role model," he began to say, but Joey raised her hand to stop him.

"Elijah, you were one of only two foster parents I had that actually cared for me, and really wanted to be there for me," she told him. "I'll always be grateful for that."

"I just wish I was able to keep you and Aden on longer," he said.

"You weren't to blame for that," Joey said. "It was that bitch's fault."

"Well, I was married to that bitch at the time, so I do bear some blame," he replied with a grin.

"Yeah, but you wised up and traded her in for a better one," Joey said, returning his grin. "How is the wife and kids?"

"Hectic," he said. "She walked in while I was on the phone with you and I didn't think I was going to be able to get away."

"Does she know why I called?"

"Grace knows there are times when she's better off not asking too many questions."

"If this does cause you any hassles later on, just tell Grace to blame me."

"Oh don't worry, I will," he said with another grin.

Joey's expression grew grave. "So, did you bring everything I asked for?" He handed her over the gym bag in reply. "Thank you Elijah," Joey said, taking the bag from him.

"Come back with me Joey."

"I can't."

"Why not?" he said. "I can protect you."

"Because Charlie is in this mess because of me and I can't leave her to the sharks to gobble up before they're all taken down."

"Charlie?" he queried.

"The woman I'm on the run with."

"A cop," he said, disdain evident in his tone.

"A good woman," Joey said.

"Is she this unforeseen complication you were talking about on the phone?" Elijah stared at her when Joey said nothing.

"Don't look at me like that Elijah," Joey finally muttered as she broke under his intense gaze.

"I thought you were smarter than this Joey," he said.

"What do you mean?" she replied as innocently as she could.

"You've fallen for her, haven't you, that's why you're risking this before time."

"I'm risking this because I don't have a choice," she said. "I've already told you that Ryan's murder has changed things."

"If it was just that, then you would already have just gone to ground and organised the rest of it from there," he argued. "Instead, you disappear and don't contact me until now."

"I didn't have a chance until now."

"You did," he said. "You could have dumped the cop and reached out to me at any time, and then carried through with your plan with a few easy alterations."

"Elijah, I already told you that she's in this mess because of me, and you know me well enough to know that I could never abandon someone who I'd placed in danger," she said. "Not even a cop." Of course there was more to it than that, but Joey really didn't want to have to explain to him why she held off for as long as she had. "This hasn't been an easy ride, Elijah," Joey said instead. "I've had to deal with a couple of corrupt cops trying to kill me, along with Mick and Jarrod."

"I figured that was you when I saw they'd taken a swim on the news."

"Things have just been crazy, Elijah."

"It's about to get even crazier," he warned her.

"I know."

"What exactly do you intend to do with this information?" Elijah asked her.

"I have someone who will know what to do with it."

"That cop you're with?"

Joey nodded.

"Joey, that stuff was meant to be insurance against the Braxtons coming after you, and not for public consumption, except as a last resort."

"It's gone well beyond that stage."

"What happened, Joey?" he said. "What went wrong?"

"They set me up," she said.

"You think they knew what you were planning to do?"

"Yeah, I do, because there was no other reason for me to be there that night, or for them to turn up," she said. "They know my contract terms, and they'd have known the moment they assigned me, that the job didn't meet any of my terms."

"It would certainly explain their desperation in wanting you dead," he murmured. Elijah sighed. "Joey, if you go through with this, there is no going back," he warned her. "You'll have to disappear, and I mean, disappear for good."

"I'm prepared for that," she said. "Provided what I've been waiting for is finally done."

"One fake id with matching papers," he said, handing over a small folder.

"What about the passport?" Joey said as she scanned through the contents.

"You moved up the timeline and a fake passport is not something that can be rushed," he told her.

Joey knew damn well what the hold up was. That greedy bitch had had weeks to get it done.

"How much to speed it along?" Joey resignedly asked.

"Twenty and she can have it done within the next few days, no sooner."

"Damn it," she muttered. "Fine," she said. "I can't stay here while I wait though."

"Once it's done, I'll send word for you to pick it up at the usual place."

"Thanks, Elijah."

"In the meantime, be careful, Joey."

"Always," she said. "What about you Elijah," Joey said with concern. "You took a big risk breaking your cover," she said. "If the Braxtons ever find out."

"The Braxtons have more important things on their minds than looking for me," he assured her. "And I've managed to keep a low profile all these years without them bothering me."

"This is different," Joey said. "After what I'm about to do, everything is going to blow up big time."

"I'm safe Joey, from the Braxtons, from the cops, from all of it," he told her. "Only those I trust implicitly have any idea where I've been hiding out."

Joey nodded. "Just promise me, that once you leave here, you head straight back before anyone can see you."

"Joey, I've been doing this a lot longer than you, so please, stop worrying about me."

"Fine, you stop worrying about me, and I'll stop worrying about you."

Elijah crossed his large arms across his chest and glared at her. Joey just smiled sweetly up at him. He shook his head. "You're a smartarse."

"I learnt from the master," she cheekily replied.

"God I hope my kids don't take after you," he muttered, much to Joey's amusement. "One more thing, Joey," he said. "You avoided answering before, but have you fallen for this woman, this cop?"

"I'm in love with her," Joey admitted.

"Oh Joey," he said.

"I couldn't help it," she said.

"How does she feel?"

"No idea and I'm not about to ask her."

"Are you going to be able to walk away?" he asked. "It's one thing to say you can, but when the time comes, are you going to be able to turn your back on her and walk away?"

"Yes," she said. "I can't stay, Elijah, she'll hate me once she knows."

"It's a hard lesson you've learnt here," he told her.

"Tell me about," she muttered. She walked into the hug when he held his arms open for her.

"A broken heart will mend, but only if you're alive, so don't take any unnecessary risks," he told her, then let her go. "And don't do anything dumb because you let your feelings get in the way."

"I promise, I'll get out of this without a scratch," she told him.

"See that you do."

"I should be getting back."

"Just remember what we talked about."

Joey nodded.

"Be safe Joey."

"You too."


	32. Chapter 32

Charlie's arm was getting a work out with the number of times she held it up to glance at her watch. Where the hell was Joey? The longer the other woman remained gone, the more she worried that something bad had happened to her and the more uneasy she felt with her decision. From the moment everything went pear shaped, this whole protection detail had become the most difficult of her life, but Charlie suspected the coming hours could prove just as hard, if not harder. And awkward.

She sighed. This was exactly why she should never have succumbed to her hormones and slept with Joey. If she'd held firm, she wouldn't have been facing this dilemma in the first place. Well, maybe she would have, but certainly not to the extant she was, all because she'd allowed herself to become physically and emotionally invested in Joey. Not in a romantic way, she hastily reminded herself, but emotionally, she had connected with Joey, largely because of their shared predicament. It wasn't something she was used to dealing with, at least not outside of her work colleagues. Now more than ever, Charlie really wished she'd kept her emotional distance, because as hard as she tried to not let it, it was affecting her judgement. That whole library 'will I or won't I' bs wouldn't have happened had she maintained her professional distance. There wouldn't have been any hesitation or internal discussion in the choice she'd made, she just would have made the decision without any fuss. Hell, even this discussion she was having with herself wouldn't have happened in the past.

Charlie glanced at her watch again. If she made it through this, she was determined to do things differently next time. No way was she going to let this shit happen again.

* * *

Joey trudged up the path toward the cabin. She found herself dragging her feet, as if delaying this would somehow help. She knew it wouldn't, that she was only delaying the inevitable, but her feet refused to go any quicker. Eventually Joey reached the cabin, where her hand hesitated over the door handle. Once inside, there was no going back, she told herself. She could just drop the bag on the step and run. In that moment, Joey very nearly did do just that, but the thought of abandoning Charlie without any explanation hurt too much and steeled her nerve. She had to do this, even though Charlie will hate her for it, she owed this to her, especially after everything she'd been put through because of her.

Taking a deep breath, Joey opened the door and walked straight into the hardest job she'd ever undertaken.

"Where have you been?" Charlie immediately asked, unable to keep the concern from her voice. Her tone hit Joey like a brick, first that she'd worried Charlie with her disappearing act, and secondly, with what she was about to do. Just get it over with, Joey told herself before her steely resolve dissolved and she piked out completely. "I was beginning to think that someone may have taken you or something."

"Sorry, I just had to pick up something," she replied, then without any preamble, she handed the bag over to Charlie. "I guess I lost track of time."

"An old gym bag?" said Charlie.

"More what's in it," Joey said.

"What?"

"Take a look."

"Where did this come from?" she asked without opening it.

"A friend."

Charlie glared at her, her own actions from earlier momentarily forgotten. "You contacted someone without talking it through with me first?" she demanded in outrage.

"Don't worry, he's someone who can be trusted," Joey assured her, as she stared at the bag that remained firmly closed in Charlie's hands. Just open the bloody thing and get this over with, she silently urged.

"If he's so trustworthy, why the hell haven't you contacted him before now?" Charlie stated. "We sure as hell could have used the help."

"He has a family and I didn't want to drag him into this mess, unless it was completely necessary," Joey replied. It was partly true, though the delay was more about waiting until everything was in place, which unfortunately, it wasn't quite there just yet. That bloody passport better be ready soon.

"And now it is necessary?" said Charlie. "What's changed?"

Everything. My feelings. I love you Charlie. I just can't stay with you any longer. None of these words made it out of her mouth though.

"We can't run forever, Charlie," Joey told her as a response instead.

Charlie felt a sliver of hope that by saying that, Joey wouldn't be too pissed at the decision Charlie had taken upon herself to make for the both of them.

"And what you have there, should help you to fight back," Joey said. "And to win."

Charlie looked at the bag that she'd forgotten was in her hands.

"You just need to find the right people to pass that on to."

"Why do I get the feeling that I'm never going to see you again?" Charlie said, hiding the pain that suddenly skewered her heart.

"I can't go back with you, Charlie," she said. "That was never going to be an option for me from the moment we left that motel room behind all those days ago."

"I know," Charlie murmured, struggling to hide her disappointment. Part of her had been hoping Joey would change her mind, yet in reality, she'd always known that was unlikely to occur. Joey had made it abundantly clear over and over again, that returning to police protection was never going to happen. Charlie sighed as she found herself in exactly the position she'd predicted she'd be in only hours earlier, only it was now Joey forcing this decision, not her. To let Joey go or be the cop she always had been and prevent Joey from leaving, because so much rested on her testimony against the Braxtons. After everything they'd endured, it just felt so wrong to stand in Joey's way, especially when her police colleagues had tried to kill them both, yet it also felt wrong to let Joey walk. Even after hours of going over this in her mind and driving herself slightly insane in the process, Charlie had yet to reach a decision, and time was now quickly running out on her. Oh god, what the hell was she going to do?

"But you can go back," Joey told her, drawing Charlie's attention back to her. "You can get your normal life back, and with what's in that bag, you can bring all the pricks down, maybe even get a commendation for it."

The bag, which once again had been forgotten in Charlie's hands.

"You just need to find the right cop to approach," Joey said. "That Robertson guy in charge of the taskforce seems on the up, and he's probably in the best position to make the most use of it."

Charlie had also concluded the same thing after her trip to the Library. Make use of what though? She still hadn't opened the bag, and with every word Joey spoke, she felt a greater reluctance to.

"I wish things could be different Charlie, but the realities of our situation will always trump wishful thinking," she said.

Charlie just nodded.

"I'm sorry Charlie," Joey said. "I really am."

"Sorry for what?"

"For putting you in this mess," she replied.

"It wasn't your fault you got caught in this, and became a witness," Charlie pointed out.

If only that were true, thought Joey.

"Look in the bag Charlie."

The bag. It suddenly felt so heavy in her hands as Charlie walked over to the table and sat it down on top. With a sense of dread that continued to grow as she reached for the zip and started to pull it, Charlie opened the bag. Inside, were files. Dozens of them. She pulled the first file out. It contained photos, dates, times, maps with crosses and names, the meaning of which failed to sink in at first. Then it did and Charlie struggled with the implications. She frantically checked the next file, then another, then another. There was no point checking them all. They were all the same. Details, so many details contained within. A myriad of thoughts were going through her mind, none of them good. The cops could only dream of gathering such information, of having such a source. They couldn't even get taps on the Braxton's phones or warrants to search their places, to even get close to this level of surveillance, so how could Joey? Why would Joey? Charlie knew the answer. It was obvious, she just wasn't ready to admit it yet.

"How," she began to say but the rest of the words stuck in her throat. Charlie cleared her throat and started again. "How in the hell did you get this?"

"I'd have thought that was obvious," Joey said, her voice barely audible to Charlie.

"Of course it's fucking obvious, but I want to hear you say it," Charlie snarled, her feelings getting the better of her. So many emotions were swirling through her, ranging from anger, to disappointment, to hurt, before settling on anger. Anger was good. Her rage would drive away any conflicts she'd previously been inflicted with where Joey was concerned. Hold onto it Charlie. Get through this, then do the right thing. "Well," she demanded. "Speak or have you suddenly forgotten how to?"

Joey took a step back. She'd expected this, had known the consequences, yet seeing it reflected on her lover's face was the worst kind of pain she'd ever experienced.

"What, no smart arsed reply?" sneered Charlie. She'd already known Joey was a criminal, what with her stealing, lock picking and skill with lying, and she'd even suspected Joey had had some link to the Braxtons before that fateful night, but this was beyond what she'd expected. It was much worse. Should she really be surprised though? The woman had been a consummate liar from day one, she'd played her and taken her for a fool. And she'd let her. In spite of all her own warnings to the contrary, she'd foolishly let Joey get to her. Worse, she'd slept with her. She felt betrayed, sullied, dirty. She felt sick. Then the rage kicked in again. Never again would she trust this bitch and never again would she feel guilty. In fact, she felt relieved she'd made the right decision earlier.

"You're one of them, aren't you?" Charlie said. "There is no way you could have gotten even half this stuff, unless you were on the inside. You're with them."

"I'm sorry Charlie."

"Stop saying that," she snapped. "I don't care about your apologies, I just want the fucking truth, if you're even capable of such a concept."

Joey was shrivelling up inside. She'd lost her forever, Charlie hated her, would never forgive her. Accepting that, Joey squared her shoulders.

"You're one of the Braxton's hired guns, aren't you?" Charlie demanded to know. "You make people disappear for them."


	33. Chapter 33

"People like this," Charlie said, holding up one of the photos from the files. "Did you kill this man?" It was the body of man laying on the ground, his brains leaking from his skull. "What about this one," she said, holding up another picture. "This one, and this, and this one?"

"All the information you need is in there," Joey replied, fearing the anger radiating from her former lover would burn her.

"Except I bet, the actual evidence to convict you of these murders," she snidely said. "Or are you going to deny your guilt, even when it's obvious how you came by this information."

"Not that obvious," Joey murmured.

"Sure looks obvious to me," she said. "And if not, what are these maps then, what do the names and crosses mean?" Charlie asked, though she strongly suspected what the answer would be, should Joey actually tell the truth that is, because there was only one reason to have these maps in with the photos. She also recognised some of the names, knew they'd been connected to the ongoing investigation into the Braxtons, and worst of all, she knew that these people had disappeared without a trace.

Joey sighed before answering. "It's where the bodies are buried," she said.

"The bodies you put there," Charlie sneered as she once again accused her.

"Yes, but not in the way you think."

"Oh, so you're not a murdering bitch in the pay of the Braxtons?" Charlie said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Your skill with a gun makes more sense now," she added. "Especially the heart shots to Angelo's chest."

"I already told you how I knew how to use a gun," Joey said.

"Duck hunting," Charlie mockingly said. "Tell me, that shooting range you also said he used to take you too, let me guess, it was human shaped targets." The look of disgust on Charlie's face when Joey didn't answer, drove another nail into Joey's heart. "He taught you how to group your shots for the most effective kill, didn't he?" Charlie said. "Don't try to deny it, your silence speaks a thousand words."

"I won't deny it," Joey finally said.

"Makes a change," muttered Charlie.

"I know how to use a gun, I know where to hit a target for the maximum effect and I've pulled the trigger plenty of times," Joey said. "But never at another human being," she told her.

"What, Angelo Rosetta doesn't count as a human being?"

"Not sure corrupt pigs do actually count," Joey said, her attempt at levity failing badly. "Anyway, if I hadn't shot him, you'd be dead," she reminded her.

"And none of which proves that you're not a killer for hire," Charlie said.

"My job with the Braxtons was purely to document and clean up other people's work."

"I'm supposed to believe that?"

"Believe what you want," said Joey, knowing she'd be wasting her time trying to convince Charlie otherwise.

"Seriously, you're going with _I'm just a cleaner_?" scoffed Charlie. "You really must think I'm an idiot."

"I've never thought of you as an idiot," Joey assured her.

"Yeah, sure, you've probably been laughing this whole time, especially once you got me into the sack," she said. "God, you must have really enjoyed fucking my body, while fucking with my head."

"I did enjoy having sex with you, Charlie," Joey honestly said. "But I never enjoyed lying to you and I never fucked with your head," she said. "At least I never meant to."

"Could have fooled me with all the smart arse remarks you've made during this trip of hell," she said. "Oh that's right, you did fool me."

"Whether you choose to believe it or not, I truly am sorry that you've been caught up in my mess," Joey told her.

The hardest thing for Charlie, aside from the obvious betrayal and hurt, was that she wanted to believe that Joey truly was sorry, yet her anger and disappointment refused to accept any of it. This was a criminal, a totally untrustworthy, worthless criminal who would betray her in an instant. Yet Joey had remained at her side when she could easily have gone on alone, she'd even saved her life on more than one occasion because she had stayed, the little voice in her head tried to reason with her. But she's a lying bitch was the counter-argument currently taking place in her head. Once again, anger won out.

"You make me sick," Charlie seethed. "The lies, the pretending, all of it."

"At no stage have I ever pretended to be a font of morality or honesty," Joey said as calmly as she could while hurting inside.

"And don't I know it," muttered Charlie. "I kept telling myself that you weren't to be trusted, but I wanted to, because we were stuck in this situation together," she said.

"I wish things had been different, Charlie, that I'd never been there that night, that…"

"What did happen that night?" Charlie interrupted her. "The night that you murdered Harvey Ryan."

"I never murdered Harvey Ryan," Joey said. "But they wanted me to," she told her. "They wanted me to get my hands dirty."

"They already were dirty," Charlie said. "Even if you are just someone who cleaned the bloodied mess up afterwards, you're still an accessory to murder, and worse, you still stood by and allowed these people to die."

"Most of them deserved it," Joey said. "They were bad people."

"I know some of the names in these files, Joey," she said. "They weren't bad people at all, they were good, honest people who witnessed a crime or were working with us to bring the Braxtons down. They didn't deserve to die."

"I had nothing to do with those ones."

"How convenient," she sarcastically said.

"Again, believe me or not, I don't care," said Joey, though she did. "But I was only involved in disposing of the bodies of those who deserved it," she said. "They weren't model citizens, Charlie, they were nasty, dangerous people who took pleasure in hurting others."

"Something you know all about," Charlie couldn't resist saying and she was pleased to see it hit a nerve. "What proof did you have that these so called nasty people deserved it?"

"I never accepted an assignment without first running a background check on whom the target was going to be, and if it turned out they were an innocent who just happened to have seen something they shouldn't have, then I passed on the assignment."

"For someone else to clean up after that poor innocent was murdered in cold blood," Charlie said, full of scorn for this woman and for those she worked for.

"I can't help it if others don't follow the same code as I do and just take the money, regardless of who the intended victim was."

"You call that a code?" she said. "Who the fuck made you judge, jury and executioner?"

"If the cops did their jobs and put these bastards behind bars, then they wouldn't be free to roam about hurting people, and providing me with a job."

"We do our jobs," Charlie said. "And while I'm the first to admit that the justice system isn't perfect, we do our best with what have."

"Yet men like the Braxtons continue to do business right under your noses," Joey pointed out. "And with the help from cops like Watson."

"Not all cops are corrupt."

"And not all who work for the Braxtons are bad people."

"Well you're certainly not a model citizen," scoffed Charlie. "Whether you killed these people or just cleaned up after the fact, you're still no better than those who ordered the hits or did the actual deed," she said. "And what about Harvey Ryan? We know he was mixed up with the Braxtons, but he was hardly a danger to others, he was just a corrupt and opportunistic businessman who didn't even have the guts to make a statement against the Braxtons," Charlie said. "Yet as you were there that night, then you obviously believed he deserved to die, since your so-called code only allowed you to be involved in specific deaths," she pointed out. "Or so you say."

"I was set up," Joey said and Charlie laughed.

"Yeah, right."

"It was meant to be a low life drug dealer who had beat up his girlfriend, a friend of Bianca Braxton, but when I got there, low and behold, it was ex-Mayor Ryan," Joey explained to her. "Before I could get the hell out of there, the others showed up."

"Heath and Kyle Braxton, Brodie Upton and Penn Graham," Charlie listed the names of the others. "At least those were the names you mentioned in your police statement or was that a lie as well?"

"Only a little."

"Only a little, oh, that's ok then," Charlie muttered.

"Penn wasn't there, but the others were."

Charlie stared, her face dark with rage as the real lie came to the fore. "If Penn wasn't there, then it is more than just a little lie that you told," she said through gritted teeth. "You said Penn Graham pulled the trigger, but it's now obvious it couldn't have been him, unless he somehow managed to pull it off in absentia, which would make him the world's greatest ever marksman."

"Heath gave me the gun," Joey said. "He told me to show my loyalty by pulling the trigger."

"And like a good little girl, you did as bid, didn't you and that's why Ryan's photo isn't in here, because you didn't want to implicate yourself," she said. "All that crap about only being a cleaner, it was just another lie, like everything else," Charlie said. "You really are just a murdering bitch and you're under arrest."


	34. Chapter 34

"Don't do this, Charlie," Joey said, backing away from the advancing police officer.

"What, not do my job in arresting criminals," Charlie snidely said, though she halted her advance toward the other woman. "Didn't you just criticise us for not doing our job properly?"

"This isn't the way to deal with this," Joey told her.

"I beg to differ," said Charlie. "I take you in, along with all this information, and then I get to bring everyone down," she said.

"You take me in and I'll be dead within days," Joey said. "We both know that."

"We know no such thing," Charlie said, though she didn't sound confident as she said it.

"Charlie, we've been running for days because they want me dead, do you really think they'll just give up after you take me back in?" she said. "You don't even know who to trust within your own department."

"Actually, I do," Charlie said. "I decided today who I can trust, and I made contact with them."

"You did what!" Joey said in stunned shock.

"I made contact with a member of the local Constabulary and asked her to pass on a message to Robert Robertson," she informed her, now feeling somewhat smug at having done so. "By now, they're on their way to Summer Bay."

Joey looked at her furiously, though she knew she didn't have the right to be angry, given her own private and previously secret rendezvous that day. Still, it felt like a kick to the guts that Charlie had done this without first consulting with her, and she was yet again reminded of just how far apart they truly were. There really was no trust between either of them, that had been proven over and over again, and their recent intimacy had done nothing to change that. It really hit home to Joey, that even had Charlie felt the same for her, there had never been any realistic chance of a future between them. It had always been a no win situation for them, because keeping to the lies and secrets would only cause mistrust, while the truth would destroy it completely, as it had done. Charlie despised her now, and while it hurt her deeply, Joey knew she didn't have the time to wallow in it, not when she had even less time than she'd thought.

"You've led them straight here, you realise that, don't you," Joey asserted. "And I'm not talking about the cops."

"Who's to say your friend hasn't already led them here," Charlie pointed out.

"I trust my friend," she said. "Can you honestly say the same about your colleagues?"

"In this case, yes," Charlie said. "I didn't take this decision lightly, Joey and I made sure to run a background check before I made my next move."

"What, via Google?"

"Well how did you run your background checks on your murder victims?"

"They're not my murder victims."

"So you say," she muttered. "Anyway, didn't you just say before that Robertson should be the guy I approached with this information?"

"I'd just rather you have waited until after I'd gone," Joey mumbled. She wondered how much time she did have. Contact must have been when Charlie was out, so within the last three to four hours. Depending on how long it took for the Constable to get Charlie's message to Robertson, then for Robertson to organise the troops. Fuck, they could be minutes away, she worriedly thought, before she told herself not to panic and to think logically. Even rushing, it'd still take the cops time to get here, so she still had some available, and she needed to make the most of it.

"So you'd have more time to run away and spend your ill gotten gains?" Charlie said, her voice oozing with derision. "Those credit cards with the fake names make even more sense now."

"I'm not going to stand here and defend myself or my lifestyle," Joey said. "I have more important things to worry about."

"Your lifestyle?" said Charlie. "Is that what you call being a murderer? A lifestyle?"

"I'm not a murderer," Joey said, growing tired of having to repeat herself.

"Then who killed Harvey Ryan?"

"If you must know, Heath Braxton pulled the trigger himself."

It was more than Charlie had hoped. An eye-witness who could finally nail a Braxton red-handed. Too bad Joey's credibility as a witness was now shot. Sure, they'd used criminals to testify for the prosecution in the past, but their credibility was too easily countered by a rigorous defence attack. On the other hand, having the information Joey had provided to back up her statements about what she did for the Braxtons, then her testimony could still go a long way to destroying the Braxtons forever, which meant that she really did need to take Joey in.

"When I refused to pull the trigger, Heath grabbed the gun back and shot Ryan," Joey told her, drawing Charlie from her thoughts.

"You have any way to prove this version of events?" asked Charlie. "Such as a file you left out of the bag?"

"No," Joey admitted. "I didn't stick around to see what they'd do to me for not following through, I just got the hell out of there, and that's the real reason why Ryan's photos and file isn't in there with the rest."

"Then for all I know, you could be lying."

"I could be," said Joey. "But I'm not. I didn't kill Ryan, I just can't prove it."

"What about your gear?" said Charlie. "These other photos weren't taken with that crappy camera on the phone we confiscated from you, which meant if you really were there to do your job as usual, then you had to have had a proper camera on you to document the murder, yet nothing of the sort was found on you when you were intercepted by the uniforms fleeing the scene," she said. "And I'm assuming you have other equipment which you use to dispose of and clean up after dead bodies, along with a car to transport it in, but again, nothing like that was found in the vicinity, nor was there any abandoned vehicle in the area."

"I left it all behind," Joey admitted. "But since it wasn't found, I can only assume that Heath removed my gear and car before the rest of the cops go there."

"I thought he was setting you up, so why would he then cover for you?"

"Probably because they had no way to know if the items I left behind, could lead the cops straight back to them, so I daresay they just snatched everything up, not just to protect themselves, but also to make sure the cops found nothing that could be used as leverage to force me to talk," Joey reasoned.

It was plausible, thought Charlie, but her mistrust of Joey was so intense right now, she was loath to believe anything this woman said.

"Ok, so you're saying Heath Braxton murdered Ryan, then my next question is, why in the hell would he even take such a risk when they have others to do their dirty work for them?"

"Usually they wouldn't be anywhere near a hit, but obviously that night was different," Joey told her. "It wasn't just about getting rid of Ryan, it was about testing me, and that's why they sent me into a situation they knew I'd never have agreed to if I'd known who the real target was, and that is also why Heath was there," she said. "Like I said, I was set up."

"And why was that?"

"Why was what?"

"Why were they setting you up?"

"Because they must have figured out I was planning on leaving the business," Joey replied.

"You were leaving?"

Joey nodded. "I'd grown tired of the business, of them, of all of it."

"Oh poor you," came Charlie's sarcastic reply, which Joey chose to ignore. "If you were leaving, why did you go there that night at all?" she asked. "Why not just take off?"

"The Braxtons aren't exactly known for their amicable severance packages, as those files can attest to," Joey replied. "Very few people are allowed to just walk away without consequences, and someone with my knowledge could be particularly dangerous to them in the wrong hands, so I wanted to protect my back," she explained. "And for that, I needed time to organise my retirement, so while I was carrying out my job as usual, I was setting aside money in separate accounts that no one else knew about, and looking for places to disappear to," she said, making no mention of the new identity papers. There were some things Charlie was better off not knowing about.

"And now that everything is in place, you're ready to just disappear forever," Charlie said, and in spite of everything that Joey had revealed today, a part of her ached at the idea of never seeing her again.

"Not quite," replied Joey. "My timeframe copped a bit of whack thanks to them setting me up, so I've had to continue to bide my time, because there are one or two things I still need to deal with first, but I can't do that staying here," she said. "That's why I had the information brought to me. That information was to be my insurance against the Braxtons coming after me once I was gone, but now it's yours."

"This was your insurance?"

"They leave me alone, that stuff never sees the light of day," Joey said.

"And now you're giving it up?"

"If you use that right, I won't have to ever worry about the Braxtons coming after me," Joey told her.

"It almost sounds as if you trust me," Charlie murmured, as she realised the huge risk Joey had taken by handing this information over.

"Well, given my experience with cops on this caper, you are about the only honest cop I know," Joey said with a wry smile, which Charlie didn't return.

"Did you know about Watson?" she suddenly asked. "Or Angelo or any other corrupt cops?"

Joey shook her head. "That's not the sort of information I was ever privy too."

"Do you know who is, besides the Braxtons?"

"Guys like Pee Wee and Brodie who were part of the original River Boys gang, and some of the exes that still hang around," Joey said. "I came after, so was only ever entrusted with my specific area of expertise."

"Getting rid of people," Charlie said, glaring at Joey. "Why didn't you kill Watson in the Motel room?" she said. "She hurts people, so killing her fits right into your code."

"I'm not a killer," Joey said again. "And nor would it have been the smart thing to do, since her involvement with the Braxtons wasn't known to anyone else at the time, and so leaving behind a dead cop would have had your buddies even more hot for our trail."

"Yet if not for his vest, you would have killed Angelo that night, another cop who we also had no way of proving was dirty at the time."

"Because I had no other option," Joey said. "He'd have killed you had I not fired before him," she said. "You already know that Charlie, so why can't you just accept that I saved your life and leave it at that?"

"It's a little hard when you've been involved in so many murders," said Charlie. "And don't give me that shit about only being the cleaner, you were still involved," she said. "I mean look at the number of crosses on this map. All these people you helped to get rid of."

"Actually, they're not all mine," Joey told her.

"That's not what you said before," Charlie said. "I'd said the bodies you put there, and you said, yes."

"I never meant all of them," Joey said. "There are some names and locations which I found from other sources."

"What sources?"

"It's all in there."

"Is there evidence against Penn Graham?" she asked. "You obviously know Penn personally, given the description you provided of him," Charlie said. "You clean up after him?"

"No, Penn never trusted anyone to clean up except himself, but I did manage to find out a couple of his marks," she said. "The names in red on the map are his."

"Do you know where to find him?"

"No idea and I never particularly wanted to know," she said. "He's not a man to mess with."

"That pretty much describes everyone mixed up with Braxtons," Charlie said. "Including that guy who tried to run us off the road. You remember him, don't you, since you called him by name."

"Did I?" Joey nonchalantly said.

"You said s _hit, it's Mick_."

"Does it really matter if I did?"

"You left them to die," said Charlie. "People you knew."

"People who wanted to kill us both," Joey reminded her. "And aside from the fact that neither of us could have done anything to save those men, I absolutely refuse to apologise for defending myself or you, from any of them," she said. "They won't spare our lives Charlie, you'd do well to keep that in mind."

"Oh, I'm well aware of that," she said. "Thanks to you," Charlie bitterly added.

"Hate me if it will make you feel better, but just know Charlie, that I never wanted to see you hurt," Joey told her. "You never asked to be dragged into my mess. I mean, this wasn't exactly the job you expected when you accepted the assignment."

"You got that right," Charlie said with a snort.

"And again, I'm sorry for that," said Joey. "I can't make up for what's already happened, but what I can do, is provide you with the ammunition to fight back."

"Ammunition," drawled Charlie. "Interesting choice of words."

"You know what I meant," Joey said, growing more weary the longer this went on. "Take the bag Charlie, it's enough to set off a chain reaction of events that should destroyed the Braxton empire forever."

"Your insurance," murmured Charlie. "Funny, that's what you called me once. Insurance, that's why you kept me around."

"Jesus, you're really determined to dredge it all up, aren't you?" she said with frustration. "Look, at the time I said that, I figured you'd be a good bargaining chip I could use with the cops if they ever tried to drag me back, assuming there was such a thing as an honest cop to do a deal with," Joey told her. "Sorry if that pisses you off, but I was looking after my own arse at the time."

"A bargaining chip?"

"It was just a survival instinct," she said. "But things changed, and I stayed because I felt I owed you that."

"How noble of you," Charlie sneeringly said.

"That's it, I'm done standing here arguing with you," Joey said, knowing she'd already lost valuable time. She should have just left the moment she had handed the bag over, yet she'd felt compelled to stay in a futile attempt to explain everything to Charlie, but now it was time to be selfish, because her life depended on it. "Everything you need to go forward from here is in that bag, make use of it or not, I don't care, because I'm not going to be around for the aftermath."

"I can't let you go," Charlie said. "You're under arrest, in case you've forgotten."

"I have to get out of here," Joey insisted. "I've already wasted too much time."

"You're not walking out that door, Joey," Charlie told her.

"I don't want to hurt you Charlie, but if you try to stop me…" Joey wasn't able to finish, as Charlie made her move, only Joey was quicker and Charlie found herself face down on the bed, with her hands behind her back, and a gun to her temple. "God Charlie, why couldn't you have just let me go," she murmured.

"I can't," Charlie murmured

"And I can't go back with you," she said. "You'll be signing my death warrant if you make me."

"You can't run forever."

"You might not be able to, but I can," Joey said. She released Charlie's hands, and allowed the woman to turn over. "Take the bag and get out of here," she told her. "Go to the cops, tell them I'll be long gone by the time they can send a car here."

"Please don't go Joey," Charlie said and it wasn't the plea of a police officer. It was the plea of a woman not wanting to see her lover leave. "Trust in me and I'll protect you."

"I want to, Charlie," she said with all honesty. "But trusting you would also mean trusting others, and I can't do that," she told her. "Goodbye Charlie." Joey waved the gun at Charlie, encouraging her to go.

"We will come looking for you," Charlie warned her as she picked up the bag and left.

* * *

Charlie had found herself walking, not toward Pippa's house and a phone, but just walking. Her body was shaking, not in fear, because despite Joey holding a gun on her, she hadn't felt threatened, nor was it out of anger, as that had already abandoned her. She was shaking because, she honestly didn't know, all she knew was that her heart and mind was in turmoil, and that she hurt. Joey had hurt her. Hurt her with her lies, with everything. Tears streamed down her face as she walked, oblivious to her surrounds, the bag like a weight holding her down.

* * *

"What the fuck!" Pee Wee complained when Brodie started hammering on his arm in excitement.

"It's her!" he said. "It's that bitch cop."


	35. Chapter 35

"This is the place," Graves said as Dex turned into the driveway.

"Nice," said Dex. "I wouldn't mind coming down here for a holiday myself."

"Seriously?" replied Graves. "I've been here five minutes and can't wait to get out of here."

"Not a country person?"

"Too slow, too quiet and too many fucking flies," she muttered as she waved off more of the offending insects.

"They don't bother me," Dex said and Graves stared at him when she realised that the little buggers were avoiding him completely. Dex caught her look out of the corner of his eyes and grinned. "Check the glove compartment," he told her. She did.

"Aeroguard," she muttered. He must have sprayed some on while she was talking to Const. Garner at the Yabbie Creek cop shop. He could have at least offered it to her earlier, she thought with annoyance as she sprayed some on herself.

"So how we do we do this?" Dex asked.

"We talk to the owner to find out which cabin they're in," she replied. "Then we gather up our witness and Buckton, and wait for Robertson to arrive."

* * *

"Where are you going?" Pee Wee hissed at his mate before Brodie was completely out of the car.

"To grab her," replied Brodie.

"Are you fucking nuts," he said. "There are people around."

"Oh, right," mumbled Brodie and he closed the door.

"Let's just follow her," Pee Wee said. "Then the moment she's clear, we nab her."

"What about Casey?" Brodie said. "We're meant to be looking for him."

"I'm betting Brax would be happier to get the cop and that other bitch out of the picture a lot more right now," he said. He was almost giddy with excitement of his own at how their recent bad luck had suddenly turned and they'd struck gold. "Once that's done, then we can go back to looking for the brat."

Brodie nodded in agreement. "I'll call Brax, let him know," he said as Pee Wee set the car in motion.

"Shit, driving this slow looks too obvious," muttered Pee Wee, aware of curious glances in their direction. "Get that map out, and hold it up so it looks like we're going slow because we don't know where we are."

Brodie did as instructed, then he peered over at his mate. "Um Pee Wee, aren't we forgetting someone?"

"Fuck," he replied, looking back at the Diner in the rear vision mirror where they'd left Kyle. "Fuck it, this is more important."

* * *

"Are Charlie and Joey in any trouble?" Pippa asked after the two officers had introduced themselves and asked after her guests. "Does this have anything to do with that media report?"

"They're not in trouble with the law," Graves assured her. "And which media report are you referring to?"

"The one that was just on. It mentioned a dead cop, and a missing cop and witness," replied Pippa. "They didn't mention their names on the report, only that it was two women, which is why I was asking if it was them when you two turned up looking for them."

"Any other reason in particular why you might think it was about Charlie and Joey?" she said, using their Christian names to imply more familiarity with them than she actually had. "I mean, you must get a lot of people through here."

"We do, including those who don't sign in with their surnames, just like Charlie and Joey," replied Pippa. "As long as they pay upfront, we're not too big on formalities, because some people value their privacy," she explained. "Oh, another thing that had me wondering. Charlie also mentioned she was a cop, so I just put two and two together that maybe it was them in the report, especially when you turned up."

That was a surprise, thought Graves. Why would Charlie risk revealing that she was a cop when there were people looking for a cop and another woman?

"Now that I think about it though, I must wrong," said Pippa. "Charlie and Joey can't be that cop and witness, because they don't act like they're on the run or only together by necessity, in fact, they're the exact opposite," she said. "They're clearly a couple who want to be together, because they love each other."

"A couple?" Graves asked in surprise, then realised it was possible that Buckton had decided to pose as a couple as a cover. It could also explain her being honest about being a cop. Sometimes it was easier to maintain a cover by having minimal lies to tell.

"Very much in love," Pippa said knowingly.

Graves hoped it was just pure acting ability on display and not that Buckton had stepped over the professional line. The last thing they needed was for their case to be torpedoed because of improper practices from both officers on the detail; one a corrupt cop, the other sleeping with the witness. Damn, this was just getting worse and worse, and she wished they had more information as to what was going on, but Buckton's message through Const. Garner had been a brief, only saying that they were safe and where they were. Nothing more. Graves hated being in the dark. They still weren't even sure on exactly who their witness really was. She just had a bad feeling about all of this.

* * *

"You bastards," Kyle muttered when he exited the diner with their food, only to discover the car was gone and he was stranded.

"Kyle?"

Kyle turned at the voice and found himself face-to-face with his brother.

"What are you doing here, Kyle?" Casey asked.

* * *

Tegan's earlier merriment had turned sour after the last phone call from Brax. That lying prick in the boot had sent them in the wrong direction. Even after all the torture they'd inflicted upon him, the bastard had still had the temerity to lie. She slammed her hand against the steering wheel in anger.

"That bastard lied to us," fumed Tegan. "If I had the time, I'd stop this car and slice and dice him right now."

"Calm down baby," said Hayley. "We know where they are now."

"But those two fuck heads Brodie and Pee Wee got there before us."

"Yeah, but they haven't got those bitches yet," she reasoned. "And the only reason Brax called us with the info, is because he expects those two fuck heads to fuck it up."

"True," murmured Tegan.

"We can still win this baby," she said. "Just step on it a little quicker," she added. Tegan grinned.

"Anything you ask babe," Tegan said, the car surging ahead at great speed.

* * *

Charlie stopped suddenly as she realised that in her preoccupied state of mind, she'd been walking aimlessly and now found herself on the outskirts of town, and not even on the right side of town. Yabbie Creek was in the other direction. It was also getting darker.

"Damn it," she muttered, cursing herself for her stupidity. How could she have let herself remain oblivious to her surroundings like this. She looked around and saw that she was alone. Well, almost alone. There was a car heading in her direction. Her hackles rose. Something was wrong. It was the car. It was moving too slowly for her liking.

"Shit."

* * *

"Perhaps they're out to dinner or something," Dex suggested when their knocks on the cabin door went unanswered.

"Buckton knew we'd be on our way."

"But she didn't have any way to know we were already on the road when her message got through," he said. "She's probably expecting us to still be some time away from arriving."

Graves sighed in annoyance. It really hadn't taken them long to get here at all, since as Dex had pointed out, they'd already been on the road when the call had come in, but she was nonetheless frustrated by the no-show of Buckton. She glanced at her watch. Robertson had had to attend to Rosetta's death first, before handing the case over to Parish, which meant he had to still be well over an hour or two away, so she at least hoped their wayward charges would be back by then.

"We could go up to the house while we wait for them to get back," Dex said.

"Stop thinking with your stomach," she snapped, referring to the owner's invitation to join them for dinner. Dex just shrugged. He'd grown used to his colleague's short-tempered moments.

Graves just wanted this whole situation over and done, so she could return to her usual assignment and start to feel like herself again. God, she was really letting herself down these past few days, largely because she'd let herself be distracted by her feelings for her colleague. It was a ridiculous situation that she'd allowed to happen, and it was one where she was hardly showing herself to be the bright up and comer everyone expected great things from.

"You could always stay here, while I go up to the house," Dex said. Graves nearly snapped again, but bit her tongue. None of this was Dex's fault, she shouldn't be snapping at him.

"Fine," she ended up saying. "You go eat, but don't take too long and bring me back something when you return."

* * *

"Fuck, she's seen us," Pee Wee hissed and he gunned the car forward, aiming it straight at the startled police officer.


	36. Chapter 36

Joey fretted. Charlie's warning that the cops had already been on their way continued to make her worry if she had enough time to get clear. Not only that, she felt a pull that she wanted to ignore, for that pull wanted her to go after Charlie, but by now, Charlie was probably already talking to her colleagues, which was why the moment Charlie had left the cabin, Joey had gathered up her things, and taken the car to the nearest petrol station to fill up on both petrol and supplies, because it was unlikely she'd have time to stop once she left town. Other than to change cars of course, since Charlie would no doubt have informed the cops of the make and number plate of this car, but first she needed to put some distance between Summer Bay and herself before she did the switch.

Her eyes constantly on the alert for any sign of police cars or officers, Joey headed out of town. Going in the opposite direction to Yabbie Creek and the police station may seem the most obvious course in fleeing the cops, but she didn't exactly have many options open to her. Just get out of town before the reinforcements arrive, then reassess is the advice she was constantly telling herself.

* * *

"What the hell are you doing here, Kyle?" Casey asked again.

"Believe me, it wasn't my choice," he replied. "I've been trying to call you, but my phone ran out of charge and this was the first town we stopped at where I could get to a pay phone," Kyle explained. "I still couldn't reach you though when I called."

"Yeah, sorry, I was at work and I can't always answer my phone."

"So you weren't avoiding my calls then," he said.

Casey shook his head.

"That's a relief," said Kyle. "I was starting to worry that maybe you'd thought I'd betrayed you or something."

"I trust you Kyle," Casey assured him. "That's why I gave you the number to my new phone, because I knew you wouldn't tell the others," he said. "Honestly, the only reason I didn't answer, was because I was elbows deep in fish bait."

Kyle sniffed the air. "That explains your new aftershave then," he joked.

Casey sniffed himself. "I can't smell anything," he said. "Guess I must be getting used to the smell." The brothers smiled at each other, then hugged.

"It's good to see you Case," he said.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I wish you weren't here," said Casey. "Because if you're here, it means they're on their way, aren't they?"

"Casey, they're already here," Kyle told him. "It was just pure luck that they are, but they're here nonetheless. I did try to delay them and talk them into taking another route the moment I realised we were heading straight for you, but Pee Wee and Brodie are being more pig headed than usual," he explained. "They fucked up before, so now they're intent on getting back into Brax's good books by finding you, and they're not going to give up any time soon."

"Fuck," Casey muttered, nervously looking around.

"I just wish I knew why the bastards took off without me just then."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, and I really have no idea why," he said. "But one thing I do know, and that is you need to get out of here, Casey, like right now."

Casey stared at him. He'd never intended to stay forever, just long enough to figure things out and earn some money, but he'd come to love this town, and now that he had to leave, he found he was reluctant to do so.

* * *

"Don't hit her!" Brodie yelled. "We need her alive."

"You idiot," Charlie told herself, still furious at her own stupidity as she dived out of the way of the oncoming car that had swerved at the last second. The wheelie bin that she'd been standing next to, went flying through the air as the car careened into it. The aroma from the overturned bin that could only be described as beyond disgusting, assaulted Charlie's nose as she jumped to her feet. Two men exited the car and approached her. She recognised them immediately and cursed herself yet again. She really had excelled in her stupidity today. Here she was, at the wrong end of town with two of Braxton's goons coming at her, and as no one had come running from any of the nearby houses at the sound of the car skidding or hitting the bin, she knew there was no help coming. There was just her and two thugs. An unarmed woman against two men. Sure she was trained in unarmed fighting techniques, but still, she didn't like her odds against the likes of these two. Wait. She wasn't unarmed. There was Angelo's knife in her pocket. It certainly didn't give her the advantage when she was outnumbered, but it was better than nothing and if she kept it as an element of surprise, it might prove more useful, she told herself.

"Please don't have guns," she silently thought as the men came closer. She crouched, preparing for battle. They just smirked and laughed. More fool them if they underestimated her, thought Charlie. 5 metres, 4, 3, close enough. Charlie threw the bag at the face of one of the men while launching herself at the other. As she'd hoped, the distraction had worked and she was on the one she knew was called Brodie before he realised it. Down he went, her fists striking hard and cleanly as he lay on the ground. Then she felt herself being lifted away from him and tossed aside. She regained her balance, the knife now in her hand as Pee Wee eyed her more warily.

"You think that toothpick will save you?" he said, talking tough.

"Come and find out," she taunted.

"Tell us where Joey is and we'll let you walk away," he told her.

"Like I'd believe that," said Charlie. "I can identify you, you stupid fuck."

"Oh well, it was worth a try," he said with a shrug, both of them knowing it had never been a serious attempt.

Charlie was growing worried. Brodie was starting to get to his feet and she'd be faced with two of them again.

* * *

"Something isn't right," Graves muttered when Dex returned not long after he'd left, with some food for them both, having decided to keep her company instead of being up at the house. "They should be back by now," she said.

"What do you think has happened?" he said. "Someone got to them or they've done a runner."

That Pippa woman's unwavering belief that Buckton and their witness were a couple replayed in Graves' head as unwelcome thoughts began to run rampant. What if Pippa was right? What if the two women had fallen in love? Why then would Buckton have sent that message which would see them torn apart, because Buckton had to have known she'd be taken from the case? Had she sent the message, then changed her mind, choosing instead to abandon her post to run away with her girlfriend? It seemed implausible to her that the woman described in her police records would throw it all away for some woman she barely knew.

Graves sighed. The same would once have been said for Georgina Watson, a cop who had shown great potential and in many ways, was very similar to the younger Buckton, yet had since proven to be thoroughly untrustworthy. Could Charlie also be corrupt? No, it didn't really fit with what they knew so far, and she'd hardly have told them where to find her if she was. Still, it could explain why Buckton wasn't here. Graves shook her head. Was she corrupt or was she in love or as Dex suggested, had someone gotten to them first?

"I don't know what's going on," Graves finally admitted. "Why don't you go back up to the house, see if Pippa will be willing to open the cabin door for us," she said. "Maybe there is something in there that can help us figure this out."

* * *

How in the hell had she allowed this to happen? Joey of course. Yet again, she'd let Joey or thoughts about Joey impair her judgement. Concentrate Dumbo, she told herself as she now faced both men again. Right now, she'd love Joey by her side, then she may actually stand a chance.

The men stepped away from each other. Charlie knew what they planned. They were going to circle either side of her, meaning she'd eventually have to take her eyes off one of them. She couldn't allow that to happen. It was now or never. She slashed out with the knife. Pee Wee yelped as it the knife slid across his arm, opening a deep gash in his skin. Charlie could feel his hate radiating back at her. She slashed again, this time he moved backwards. Charlie saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She slashed to her left and Brodie stepped out of the way, but the distraction had worked against her this time, with Pee Wee putting his pain aside and slamming into her side. She went down, his large frame landing on her and momentarily winding her. The knife fell from her hand.

"I'm going to make you pay, bitch," Pee Wee hissed.

Charlie struck out, her finger poking him right in the eye. He cried out, reared back and clutched his eye. Charlie used his own momentum to roll him off her. With Brodie thinking his mate had the situation in hand, he'd held back, but as Charlie got to her feet, he moved toward her again. Charlie glanced around. Her knife was now closer to him than it was to her. She needed a weapon, anything. Then she saw it amongst the rubbish. She bolted, lent and picked it up, then spun in one movement. The frying pan connected with Brodie's head, or at least it would have had it not fallen away from the handle before it got there. It clattered harmlessly to the ground.

"That never happens in the movies," Charlie couldn't help muttering as she realised why it had been tossed in the rubbish. The fry pan was a bust, but the handle was still in her hand, and when Brodie went to grab her, she parried forward.

"Fuck," Brodie winced as the dull end of the handle struck him in the chest. He rubbed the spot. It had hurt, but hadn't really slowed him down. Pee Wee was now back up on his feet as well, angrier than ever.

This really wasn't going well for Charlie and she knew her options were all but over. She could make a run for it, but she doubted she'd get far.

* * *

After a call to Const. Garner, Pippa had agreed to let them into the cabin, more out of her own growing concern that some mishap may have befallen her guests, than anything else. Once inside the cabin, it became quickly apparent that the occupants weren't going to be returning, or at least one of them wasn't. Pippa had identified the clothing and shoes that remained as Buckton's, but there was no sign of anyone else's gear. Their witness was gone, and Robertson would be here shortly. Shit, she wasn't looking forward to explaining that they'd lost their witness - again.

* * *

"Enough of this fucking game!" snapped Pee Wee. If he had to kill her, he would.

Charlie sighed when he drew out a gun. She really had never stood a chance. Then a sound sent hope through her heart. A car with a hand very much on the horn. Help was coming. She dared to take her eyes off her attackers and look. Her surprise was obvious, as was the unexpected pang of relief and delight at who her rescuer was. Joey had come to save her.

Later on, she'd be able to replay in more detail what had actually happened, but it was all over in a flash. Joey had played chicken with the men, they'd blinked and dived either side of the car before it hit them. Then the door had flung open and Charlie was in. Tyres had burned, the car had shot forward. Then the gunshots had come. Joey had slumped forward, losing control of the car.


	37. Chapter 37

Just metres from a power pole, Joey managed to regain her senses in spite of the pain in her shoulder, and only just narrowly avoided a head-on collision with the pole. Both women winced when the side of the car scraped the pole, sparks flying everywhere.

"Joey, pull over," Charlie said.

"We can't stop," Joey told her. "We need more distance between us."

"Fine, then I'll drive," she said.

"I can do it."

"Until the next pole you can't avoid," Charlie said. "You're losing blood Joey, now swap over before you pass out and kill us both," she ordered as she reached for one of Joey's bags from the back seat. Searching through it, she pulled out a t-shirt. "Here, get that onto your wound."

Joey didn't put up a fight. Charlie was right, she wasn't in any condition to be driving just now. They switched positions and Joey tried to ignore the pain as she applied pressure to the bullet hole. It had been a lucky shot, or from her point-of-view, fucking unlucky.

"They're coming, Charlie," she warned.

Charlie peered in the rear-vision mirror. Their pursuers were already in their car. Time was running out. She put the car into gear and lurching into action. She'd studied the maps of the town just in case they'd needed a quick getaway, and while she wished that wasn't the case, she was glad she'd done it, because she knew exactly where to go to lose them.

* * *

Casey stared at his phone. Kyle had remained at the Diner, awaiting the return of the others, and then hopefully, to get them out of town and away from Casey as quickly as possible. Even once they were gone, Casey knew he couldn't stay. They'd gotten too close because he'd stayed too long, and now it was time to leave. The phone in his hand felt heavy. He should just pack his stuff up, tell Alf he had to move on and go. Easy. Except something was holding him back. No, it was someone who was holding him back. His finger hovered over the screen on his phone. Ruby deserved a proper goodbye, but he feared seeing her one last time might lead him into doing something rash.

* * *

"Ok, thanks for the heads up, Const. Garner," Graves said, then hung up her phone. "Come on Dex, there's been shots fired on the edge of town."

"Casualties?"

"None reported," she told him.

"Is it linked to our missing women?" he asked as he followed after her.

"Unknown at this stage," she replied. "We need to check it out though."

"What about Robertson?"

"I'll call him on the way," Graves said. She really hoped this was a false alarm or related to some other incident, because if Braxton's goons were here, and they had taken aim at their missing women, then things were about to get a whole lot worse than they already were.

* * *

Twenty minutes, and many turns later, there was clear road behind them. They'd lost them. For the moment at least.

"Take the next left, it'll take us out of the town," Joey said. It was a different direction to which she'd originally planned to leave by, but it would still take them away from Yabbie Creek, and the cops.

"We're going out of town, but not that way," Charlie said. "I'm taking you to the hospital, then I'm calling the station at Yabbie Creek."

"No you're not," Joey told her. "No cops, no hospital."

"You've been shot Joey, you need medical attention, whether I call the cops or not."

"The hospital has to report gunshot wounds," Joey pointed out. "No cops, no hospital," she repeated.

"I can't let you bleed to death on me, Joey," she said, unable to hide the worry in her voice. For all her anger at Joey, she was now terrified of her dying and losing her forever.

"It's not that bad," said Joey. "It's a through and through," she said. "I just need to stop the bleeding."

"And how do you expect to do that, and to avoid possible infection, without the proper medical supplies."

"There," Joey said.

"Where?" Charlie said, surveilling each side of the road for whatever Joey was looking at.

"The Veterinary clinic," Joey told her. She'd much rather they put as much distance between them and this town as quickly as they could, but Joey knew she couldn't risk losing too much blood and passing out. It'd all be over for her if that happened.

"It looks like they're already closed for the night," Charlie pointed out as they neared the building.

"Perfect," said Joey.

Charlie shook her head at her. "No, this is stupid," she told her. "I'm taking you to the hospital."

"Don't make me do it, Charlie," Joey warned her.

"Do what?"

"Pull my gun on you."

Charlie knew it was pointless to say she wouldn't dare, when she knew damn well Joey would dare. She'd already pulled the gun on her before, what's one more time.

"Fine," Charlie muttered, then she cursed under her breath when she realised she'd left the bag behind. The bag that could bring down the entire Braxton empire was now likely in their hands, thanks to her. She'd not only fucked up, she'd fucked up big time.

* * *

"Well, it looks like someone brought a knife to a gunfight," Graves murmured as she peered down at the weapon. There was blood on the blade and drops of blood on the ground around it. She feared whose blood would be identified on it. "Who called it in?" she asked the Constable who was about the same age as her.

"John Palmer, he lives just up the road from here," Teri Garner replied.

"Did he see anything?"

"Two cars speeding out of here," she said. "The colour from one matches the paint left on the wheelie bin," Teri told her. "John heard the car hit the bin and a screech of tyres, but just assumed it was the neighbour's kid hooning again," she explained. "Minutes later, he heard a long car horn, then the gunshots. He called it in, then came outside to have a look."

"He heard gunshots and didn't stay indoors?" said Graves. "Does he have a death wish or something?"

"No, John said it was instinctive, and that he'd wanted to make sure no one was hurt, but if he had to do it over again, he'd definitely being staying indoors til the cops arrived," she said.

"What about other witnesses?"

"It's a pretty quiet neighbourhood along here people wise," Teri replied. "Only about half the houses are currently occupied, and John was the only resident home at the time of the incident."

"Damn," muttered Graves. "Could he tell if any of the occupants in either car were female?"

"Two males in the car that was last to leave, and he was able to give a partial description of one of the men," she said. "The other car, John couldn't say, since it was already in the distance by the time he came outside," Teri said. "All he could tell us about it was that it was small, and red, possibly a Corolla or similar. We did find scratches and fresh red paint on one of the power poles up the road, along with some fragments of glass that suggests it clipped the pole as it sped off."

"Could it have been struck by bullets, and that caused it to hit the pole?"

"Possibly," replied Teri. She looked at Graves, her expression serious and concerned. "What is going on here? Is this somehow connected to that message Charlie had me send?" she asked.

"Perhaps."

"Charlie never said much, other than to pass on a message that she was safe and in Summer Bay, then you arrive at the Station, but don't tell me much, and now we have a bloodied knife and reports of gunfire," said Teri. "Don't you think it's time you let us locals in on what the hell is going on before someone turns up dead?"

Graves didn't immediately answer. She'd discussed the situation with Robertson on the way to the scene, and in light of current events, he'd left it up to her to decide on how much to tell the locals once she'd accessed the scene. Well, she'd accessed it and she didn't like what she'd seen or heard. Graves looked Teri in the eyes.

"Have you heard of Daryl Braxton?" Graves said.

* * *

Even with her mobility impaired by the injury to her shoulder, Joey still had little trouble breaking into the Vet's surgery. She really was far too skilful at doing the wrong things, thought Charlie as she grudgingly followed her inside. Charlie kept her eyes alert for the nearest phone. She feigned innocence when Joey caught her scanning the room.

"Don't even think about making any calls," Joey warned her.

"You really should be in a hospital or at least going to see a doctor," Charlie told her yet again.

Joey just shook her head. "The cops probably have reports of gunfire by now, so the hospital is out of the question, because it will be one of the first places they check out for potential gunshot victims," she said. "I just need to patch up my shoulder, then I'm gone," she told her. "You can do whatever you want after that."

"You're being stupid."

"Stupid was getting shot in the first place," she muttered.

"Why did you come after me?" Charlie asked.

"I didn't," Joey replied. "I was leaving town and just happened to be going in that direction when I saw what was going on."

"You could have just driven right past us without stopping," Charlie said. "Yet you didn't. You saved me, and got shot in the process," she said. "I just can't figure you out."

"Don't bother trying," Joey told her.

"You're a criminal, possibly a murderer or at the very least, you're an accessory to multiple murders, yet you stopped to help a cop, a cop who was quite prepared to arrest you earlier this evening," Charlie pointed out. "And this isn't like the last time you saved my life, where we were working together for our mutual benefit, this time you had the car, you had your chance of freedom, and the perfect motivation for abandoning me, but you didn't. Instead, you drove toward armed men, and by doing so, you willingly risked your life for me, and I want to know why."

Joey said nothing as she levered the lock on the medicine cabinet. There had to be some sedative or painkiller safe to use on humans here.

"Joey, after everything you've done and said, why would you risk everything for me?" she asked, but the other woman continued to ignore her. Charlie strode over to her, grabbed her shoulders and turned her. Joey yelped in pain as she faced Charlie. "Why Joey, why would a criminal like you risk everything for a cop?"

"Because I love you!" she blurted out.


	38. Chapter 38

Except for the sounds of animal patients in the next room, utter silence had fallen over them as both women stared at each other. One stood in shock, one in absolute horror. Joey knew there was little point in trying to retract her words. She'd said them loud and clear and they hung between them like a dead weight.

It seemed like an eternity as they stood there, neither moving, neither saying a single word. Then Charlie sparked to life and her lips were on Joey's. Hands worked on clothes and they were naked. Neither cared about the coldness of the surgical table as they lay on it. Their only concern was finally giving into their feelings, and give in they did.

* * *

"Where the fuck is that damn car," Pee Wee raged as they continued to drive aimlessly around. "They have to be close."

"We can't look forever," said Brodie. "Someone had to have called the cops after you opened fire, and soon enough this place will be crawling with them." As it was, they'd had to take a quick turn to avoid one squad car already.

"I'm more worried about Brax finding out we fucked up again than the useless cops," Pee Wee muttered. "Besides, the cops don't have anything on us," he said, knowing they'd never find the secret compartment in the car where they'd hid their guns for the time being.

"Even so, I'd rather we didn't get pulled over."

"For what, driving a car?" he snidely said. "Get a grip, Brodie."

"What if they see the wound on your arm?" Brodie said. "They'll want to know what happened to it."

Pee Wee glanced at his arm. There was a makeshift bandage over it and he'd probably need stitches eventually, but he couldn't afford to pay it too much attention right then.

"I'll think of something," he muttered in reply. "Now let's just forget about the fucking cops and find those two bitches," he snapped.

Brodie just shrugged. His mate always got a bit short tempered when things didn't go his way, so he was used to it.

"So you reckon it was Joey who was driving?" asked Brodie, since both had been too busy diving out of the way to get a good look at the driver.

"It had to be Joey," said Pee Wee.

"But why would Joey be helping a cop?" he said. "She'd be better off on her own."

"Because maybe she's been working with them this whole time," Pee Wee reasoned.

"No way," said Brodie. "Elijah would never have spoken for her if she couldn't be trusted."

"And just where is Elijah hiding these days?" he said smugly. "I'm telling you, the bitch is dirty," he said. "Why else would Brax be testing her if he'd trusted her, and why did she run that night?"

"Maybe she just panicked when she realised it wasn't her usual job," Brodie said.

"She panicked because she got found out," he said. "And that's why she's helping the cops."

"So why aren't she and the cop in police protection?"

"Think you idiot," Pee Wee said. "We have cops on the payroll and thanks to that dumb bitch Watson's screw up, the cops now have proof of it, as does Joey and her cop buddy," he pointed out. "I'm betting they won't be heading back until they smoke out all the dirty ones," he said.

"So you reckon Joey was undercover or something this whole time?"

"She can't be trusted, and she's working with the cops, what do you think that means?"

"That we have to stop her."

Pee Wee smirked. "And we will."

* * *

Joey lay naked beneath her, her body warm and pliable, gasping for more…then Charlie shook herself free of the image. Thank god that moment of reckless abandon had all been in her head and not reality. Oh wait, it was reality, at least partial reality. Joey really had said those words - _Because I love you._ What did it mean? Well, of course Charlie knew what the words meant in a literal sense, but what did it mean to their situation with Joey saying it? It didn't really change anything, because she didn't return the feelings. Even in her own head, that didn't sound very convincing. Whatever, she thought dismissively. Nothing had changed, she said more forcibly. Joey was still a criminal who couldn't be trusted and that would never change. Nothing could happen. Ever. She was a cop, Joey was a criminal should be her new mantra, and she was determined to repeat it as many times as necessary until it sunk in. Cop, criminal, nothing remotely emotional between them. Well, except for Joey saying those words. Words Charlie had longed to hear from a woman at some stage of her life, just not in these circumstances. Could things be any more fucked up than they already were? Charlie had thought Joey's confession earlier had been the low light of the day, only to then be topped by dodgem cars and bullets. Now, here she was, in a vet's surgery with a criminal who'd been shot, professing her love for her. Oh, and let's not forget they were only in here after breaking in. Another crime. What else could she expect from a criminal, other than criminal acts? Certainly not those words. Yet the words had been spoken. They were right there between them, and Charlie still had no fucking idea in how to respond. It was as if she was frozen in time.

* * *

"We still don't have a positive id on any of the occupants in either car," Graves informed her senior officer over the phone. "All we have is a partial id on one of the men, which could be a match to Peter 'Pee Wee' Wilson, but our witness couldn't be certain when we showed him Pee Wee's photo," she told him. "I've filled the locals in on the situation with Buckton, and we now have people on the lookout for both cars, but it's going to take time."

"It's a small town though, isn't it?" said Robertson.

"Summer Bay is small, but the surrounding area isn't," she replied. "There's a lot of ground to cover if Buckton and Collins have left town, and only a limited number of police officers available to help."

"Are you absolutely certain the shooting is connected to Buckton and our witness?" Robertson asked.

"No, I can't be 100% it's connected to the two women or that the shooters were Braxton goons, and the locals are looking into other angles, but it'd be a hell of a coincidence if this isn't related," said Graves. "Buckton sends a message to us, then we have a shooting incident, which isn't exactly in character with the town, and now Buckton is nowhere to be found," she said. "She reached out to us Robert, and now she's missing again."

"Ok, we can't sit around waiting for Buckton to contact us again, so if you can't find any sign of them still being in the town within the next hour, I want you to head out after them, whether I'm there by then or not," Robertson told her.

"Will do," she said as the call ended. Graves turned to the nearest Constable. "How is the search going for the cars?"

"No luck yet," he said. "We've circulated the description John provided for one of the cars, but do we have anything more to go on for the other car, other than it was red, small, possibly a Corolla?"

"We don't have confirmation back yet that the paint on the pole is from the same car, but assuming it is, then keep a lookout for a red car with damage to it's front or side, and possibly bullet holes and a broken window."

"That should make it easier to find the right one then," he said.

"Best to play it safe though, by stopping all small red cars, regardless of damage," Graves told him. "At least until we have forensic confirmation on the paint."

"Roger that," he said.

"I just hope they haven't ditched it already," mumbled Graves.

* * *

Joey's shoulder ached and she could feel the blood still seeping out, yet she made no move to stem the flow. She made no move to search the now open medicine cabinet for the drugs she needed to deal with her injury. She made no move at all because she couldn't fucking move. The world had stopped. The words hung heavy between them. Words that spoke to the truth of her heart, yet had never meant to speak aloud for one reason. She knew they'd never be returned. She had no future with Charlie, she never really had, and any brief hope she may have had, had been completely snuffed out the moment Charlie had learnt the truth. That she wasn't one of the good guys, that she wasn't to be trusted, that she was a danger to everyone, especially to Charlie. Of course she'd never wanted to hurt Charlie, but she'd done just that with her lies and her deceit. Worse, Joey knew Charlie was only in this fight for her life, because she'd been dragged into her mess, and with Brax and his goons now knowing where they were, their chances of survival had grown even slimmer. It was all her fault.

And now instead of treating her wound and getting the hell away from Charlie, and perhaps sparing her from further harm, she remained rooted to the spot, face-to-face with Charlie. Joey had no idea what was going on in Charlie's head, what she was thinking, she just couldn't tell. Contempt probably. Was she laughing at her for her foolish declaration of love? That thought alone, hurt more than the bullet through her shoulder had.

Enough!, she told herself, and she felt the first movement return to her body. Now to pick up the pieces. She smirked, then laughed.

"Oh the look on your face," she said dismissively. Joey couldn't take back the words, but she could mock them. It was her only defence. "If I'd known it was so easy to shut you up, I'd have said that back at the cabin earlier."

The spell was broken, and Charlie swallowed. For some reason, Joey not meaning the words felt like a punch to the guts. Get over it, she told herself. You don't want her like that, so who cares that she didn't mean it. Still, her stomach was in knots, and she hated the feeling.

Joey turned her back on Charlie and concentrated on the contents of the medicine cabinet, in the vain hope of regaining what was left of her composure, and putting this all behind her.

* * *

"They must have left town," muttered Pee Wee.

"Or they're holed up somewhere," said Brodie. "I reckon you may have got her, and that's why she lost control of the car."

"If I did, then she may need medical treatment," he said. "The hospital would be too obvious," reasoned Pee Wee. "If you have a bullet hole in you, where else could you go to get treatment without alerting the wrong people?"

"Wherever there are drugs and shit to treat it," said Brodie. "A pharmacy or something," he said. "They'd be closed at this time of night, but that'd just suit Joey even more."

Pee Wee slammed on the brakes, raced out of the car, then returned. He tossed Brodie the phone book he'd just swiped from the payphone. "Get the addresses," he ordered.


	39. Chapter 39

"My god, what a depressing looking place," Tegan murmured as they drove into Summer Bay. "If those bitches make us stay in this dump for too long, I'll make sure they're deaths are even more painful."

"I don't know, there's a certain charm about this place," said Hayley.

"That's it, I'm not letting you out of the city again," she said, and both women shared a laugh.

"So, do you reckon Brodie and Pee Wee's refusal to answer the phone means they fucked up again?" asked Hayley.

"Yep," said Tegan. "If they'd done the job, we'd all know about it by now."

Hayley flicked through the channels on the radio until she found a local station. "Police are on the lookout for two cars seen fleeing the scene after a shooting incident…"

Hayley and Tegan grinned at each other. "Yep, the stupid wankers fucked up," crowed Tegan. "Quick, call Brax to let him know, and maybe he'll finally let us be rid of those two dicks as well."

"God I hope so," murmured Hayley. Brodie was ok, but Pee Wee always made her skin crawl. He was too like the late and not at all lamented Mick, in that he had an, 'I want to fuck the gay out of you' vibe about him. In fact, Brodie seemed to be the exception to the rule when it came to the men who worked for the Braxtons. The Braxtons themselves had never caused her any issues in that regard, some with her job, but that was to be expected. She was more worried about them finding out about her drug habit, than them hitting on her. Pee Wee on the other hand, only respected power, hence why he picked on those he saw as weaker than him. Lucky for her that Tegan was anything but weak, and that had kept certain hands from her. Pee Wee, like Mick, is one man the world wouldn't miss if something were to befall him.

* * *

Joey's eyes swam with pain as Charlie dabbed at the wound with some of the antiseptic Joey had found in the medicine cabinet. She'd tried to treat the wound herself by standing in front of the mirror above the basin, but it'd been too awkward, so Joey had reluctantly agreed to let Charlie treat her wound. After what had just gone down between them with her ill-advised confession, then lame attempt to dismiss it as a joke, the last thing Joey had wanted, was to be sitting on the table with her top off and Charlie's hands on her.

Charlie winced in sympathy each time Joey sucked her breath in at the pain.

"You really should let a doctor see to this," Charlie told her.

"Why, what could they do that you're not already doing?"

"Give you something for the pain for a start."

Joey shook her head. "No way," she said. "I need to keep my wits about me, and I can't do that dosed up on drugs."

"You have a hole in your shoulder Joey."

"It's not that big a deal," Joey tried to assure her.

"I may not be a doctor, but I know enough to be able to tell that without stitches, even the slightest movement will make it bleed profusely again."

Joey went to argue with her again, but she knew Charlie was annoyingly right. There had to be an alternative.

"Find the staple gun," Joey told her.

Charlie paled at the suggestion, because she knew who would be the one having to hold the stapler, and then send those staples into human flesh.

"This is a vet's surgery, there has to be one around here somewhere," Joey said.

"No there doesn't," Charlie said, partly in hope so she wouldn't have to use it on Joey.

"I've seen them on vet shows on TV," Joey said. "They use them just like some doctors do."

"Doesn't mean there is one here."

"Could you at least look?"

She should say no, but Joey's determination to avoid professional medical care at all costs persuaded Charlie to search the surgery for a staple gun, because she'd rather that Joey had her type of limited care, than none at all. Unfortunately for Charlie, she found the staple gun. It felt cold and uncomfortable in her hand as she brought it over to Joey.

"I don't know if I can do this Joey," she murmured.

"Just think of me as paper."

"Paper doesn't talk back," she said. Charlie took a deep breath. "Here goes," she warned her, moments before depressing the stapler.

"Fuck," Joey muttered, and she repeated it as each staple made its way into her body.

"Done," Charlie said in a slightly strangled voice. She had a new appreciation for medical professionals after that. "You won't be able to wear a bikini anytime soon, but it should hold until you get someone to take a proper look at that."

"Thanks," Joey said. The wound pinched as she struggled into her top. Charlie reached out to help her. Once her top was on, the women's eyes caught each others.

Charlie was the first to break contact. Still rattled from earlier, the last thing she wanted was a repeat of earlier, even if Joey had brushed it off as a joke.

"So, how did you get into the business in the first place?" Charlie asked as a distraction.

"Are you asking out of genuine curiosity or as a cop looking for evidence against me?"

"Can it be both?" nearly slipped out, but instead, Charlie just said. "Curiosity."

"Well, I never had much in the way of role models, but there was one who always looked out for me, and was like a mentor to me," she replied, vowing to leave Elijah's name and relationship to her out of it. Even though her original foster time with him had been short, and it had been some years later before they met up again, Joey didn't want to risk implicating him in any way. She knew Elijah had taken steps to delete their past together, and the cops by now had probably discovered the gaps in her official foster history, but that had only dealt with the official records, and not the actual people involved. There was just no guarantee the cops wouldn't find the link between her and Elijah if they found the right case managers to ask. Some of those people had remarkable memories, and she owed it to Elijah to at least try to keep him out of this as much as possible. He'd left that life behind him, and he didn't deserve to be dragged back into it because of her. It was bad enough she'd used him as her messenger, the last thing she wanted, was for the cops to start looking for him as well.

"I really looked up to him," Joey continued. "I followed him around like a puppy, wanted to emulate him, much to his regret. He never wanted me to follow him into the business," she told Charlie. "He even tried to warn me to steer clear, but I was young and stupid, thought it was all so exciting, and so I never really stopped to consider the real consequences of getting involved, until I was already well and truly neck deep in it."

"Is this the same guy you contacted earlier?"

"No, my mentor is dead," Joey lied, really hoping Charlie wouldn't go searching once they parted ways.

"Was this mentor the same foster father who taught you to shoot?"

Damn, trust Charlie to put it together. She really should never have mentioned any of that in the first place.

"Charlie, I get that you have a lot of questions, but we don't have a lot of time," she said, fobbing off the question, which would probably just make Charlie more curious. She really should have just kept her mouth shut, Joey thought to herself, especially around a cop. "First thing we need to do is to ditch the car, and find a replacement," Joey told her as she peered out the window.

"We?"

"Unless you want to stay here?" said Joey.

"I want to call the cops."

"You'd be dead by the time they got here."

"They'll be all over town after that ruckus earlier," Charlie said. "I daresay they could be here in a matter of minutes if I called."

"So could Brodie and Pee Wee," she reminded her. "Look, we get out of here, and when it's safe, I'll drop you off, then you can your cop buddies."

"If you steal a car from anywhere around here, they'll know to just look for that, and we probably wouldn't get far."

Joey sighed. She was right, but they had no other choice. The damage to their car was just too much of a calling card.

"We'll just have to take that chance," she said. "Then we head to that tree line we saw earlier, and take the back roads." An obvious move and it would mean driving and being exposed for a couple of blocks, but their options were too limited, and time was running out.

* * *

One good thing about a small town, was that the phone book had shown that there were only a couple of places for Pee Wee and Brodie to check out. After the first location had turned up no sign of the women, Pee Wee had turned the car toward the next.

"Hang on!" Brodie cried out excitedly.

"What now?"

"I just had an idea."

"Always a first time for everything," Pee Wee mumbled under his breath. "What's this idea?" he asked aloud.

"We just passed it."

"Passed what?"

"Somewhere we didn't think of looking before."

Peering into the rear vision mirror, Pee Wee saw what his mate meant, and smiled. It was perfect.


	40. Chapter 40

Casey had heard the news and decided that he really couldn't wait around any longer. With any luck, the cops, Pee Wee, Brodie and everyone else would be otherwise distracted, allowing him to leave town unnoticed, including by Ruby. He hadn't gone through with the phone call, and did regret not saying goodbye directly to Ruby, but he could no longer risk staying here and if he didn't go now, he could very well get caught up in the mess he'd been trying to avoid.

He'd left a letter to Alf explaining he had to leave suddenly because of a family drama, and asking him to pass on a letter he'd also left for Ruby, to her. Alf would probably be pissed at his sudden departure, but at least Casey had warned him he hadn't been planning on sticking around. Still, he felt like a heel for leaving Alf in the lurch like this, especially after Alf had given him the job and a place to stay. One day, he'd find a way to repay Alf for his generosity.

Casey readjusted his backpack and kept an eye out for cars. Hitchhiking in town was probably a dumb idea under the current circumstances, and he was wary of the buses as well, so he was going to have to walk. He didn't know how far, he didn't even know where he was heading, other than in the opposite direction to where the shooting had happened. At least he'd have a lot of time to consider things, he thought as he walked.

His thoughts then turned to his brother. Kyle had promised to continue to run interference for him. Casey hated putting his brother in a position where he had to lie to their other brothers, but Kyle understood. He always had, because he was the only Braxton who saw Casey for who he really was. Different. He just wished he'd figured it out so much earlier.

In the distance, Casey could hear the faint sounds of sirens. He really did hope that the women managed to avoid Brodie and Pee Wee, because he genuinely believed they didn't deserve to die.

* * *

Parking further down the street and out of sight from the building of their interest, Brodie and Pee Wee made their way back, keeping to the shadows, just in case this was the right place.

* * *

Joey winced. The staples still felt as if they were pulling against her skin whenever she moved, and she was desperately hoping the injury wouldn't impede her during their departure, especially when she had a feeling that everything was about to come to a head, and she certainly didn't want to be stuck here if or when it did. As it was, they were going to be pushing their luck just to get out of town without either the cops or Pee Wee and Brodie seeing them. This mess really had become even more fucked up and it was obvious she had over stayed, both in this town and with Charlie. She really should have cut Charlie loose much earlier, even if it meant setting herself up as bait to have the others come after her while Charlie...here she paused. Just what would Charlie have done had she been left to her own devices? Called the cops of course and possibly risk falling into the hands of the wrong ones. No, sticking together had been the right call then, just as it was now. It was too late and too risky for them to now separate, at least until they were out of Summer Bay.

* * *

Kyle glanced at his watch for what felt like the hundredth time. He'd heard all about the shooting incident, he'd heard the reports, the gossip, the news, he'd also heard from Brax who had passed on a message from Tegan. What he hadn't heard, was from Brodie and Pee Wee. They'd left him stranded here and every time he saw a blue uniform or cop car fly past, his heart sped up a little, because if they'd figured out that the Braxtons were involved, his being here wouldn't be seen as a coincidence, even though that's exactly what it had been. One big coincidence. Who knew in their search for his runaway brother, they'd stumble upon those two women, purely by chance. Like Casey, he dreaded the fate that awaited those two women should his side catch up to them first, but unlike his brother, Kyle understood the necessity, even if he didn't fully support it. And unlike his little brother, Kyle had a lot more to lose should he fall into the hands of the cops.

He sighed. Part of him wished he'd been more like Casey in finding a way to steer clear of the business for as long as possible, but he'd succumbed in the same way Heath had, though Heath had had less choice than either of them. Heath had lacked the intelligence and acumen to be anything but the brawn and muscle in charge of the troops. He never had the education or support from Brax that their older brother had bestowed upon the two youngest Braxtons, yet Heath had never resented them for it and in a way, he'd found more freedom to do as he pleased than they ever had, though Kyle suspected that courting Brax's wife had been in some part, Heath's way of getting back at Brax for his constant lack of approval. It wasn't all about revenge however. There were genuinely feelings on Heath's part, which made the impeding birth of Bianca's child all the more problematic. God help them all if Bianca's baby did turn out to be Heath's, because despite his faults, Heath stood by his children and he might just stand in front of Brax on this.

Kyle sighed again. Sometimes he hated being the brother in the middle, the one who had to be the peacemaker.

* * *

Joey surveyed her surroundings from the surgery window, taking in every detail; where the streetlights were located and the shadows they cast, the potential cover the shrubs and fences could provide, to the young woman walking her red kelpie and the car heading up the driveway of the house four doors over, where two people got out. Anyone of them a potential threat if they saw something amiss with the surgery, such as a light on at the wrong time. The blinds looked fairly heavy, so Joey was hoping they blocked out most of the inside light from the outside.

"Come on, Charlie," she murmured to herself. The other woman was in the next room, searching for medical supplies to take care of her shoulder. She'd told Charlie not to bother, but Charlie had insisted that if they were to make a run for it, they needed further supplies just in case they weren't able to get access to any once they were on the road. Joey hadn't bothered arguing with her, because all that would have done, was to delay them longer. As it was, they should have been out of here already.

She continued to keep a lookout while she waited for Charlie. It was times like this when she hated the direction her life had taken. There didn't appear to be any safe place for her and even if there was, she always expected trouble to come at her. She sighed despondently. It was exactly because of this life, why she was alone. How could she expect a woman to be a part of this life.

Joey glanced toward the door where Charlie had departed. There was the woman she wanted a future with, a future that could now only happen in her imagination. Charlie was a cop, she'd have no interest in her now that she knew the truth. Most women wouldn't. Once she was out of here and she could leave Charlie somewhere safe, Joey resolved to turn her life around, and maybe, just maybe, she'd find a woman to spend the rest of her life with, and maybe even be honest with her from the start.

"Oh grow up, you don't believe in fairytales," she muttered to herself, for that's what such a life was. A fairytale, one she doubted she'd ever have. She'd be lucky to even get out of this alive.

"What was that you just said?" Charlie asked when she returned to the room.

"Nothing," she said. "Are you ready, because we need to get the hell out of here as of now."

"I'm done," Charlie replied. She felt guilty for stealing the supplies, but under the circumstances, their needs and safety outweighed the wrongs. At least that was what she was telling herself to ease her guilt. How could Joey live her life like this, doing the wrong thing over and over. It was such a horrible feeling, but Charlie supposed that was the greatest difference between her and Joey. Joey didn't see it as wrong, so had nothing to feel guilty over.

* * *

Brodie snuck around the side of the building to the next window. He could just make out a soft glow through a crack in the blind. He flattened his back to the wall and edged closer. By now he could hear voices from inside, including one he was quite familiar with. Grinning from ear to ear, he rushed back to tell Pee Wee.

* * *

Movement caught Joey's eyes as passing headlights illuminated two figures skulking by the fence to the left of the building, right next to where they'd stashed the car.

"Shit," she muttered. "Charlie, we have company."

"Who?"

"Didn't get a clear look, but I'm certain it was two men."

"Brodie and Pee Wee?"

"That'd be my guess," she said.

"What's the plan?"

"We can't get to the car, so we're going to have to make a run for it, and first chance we get, we steal a car," she told her. "We don't have a choice."

"There's a window in the next room we can get out of without them seeing us," Charlie suggested. "But there's not much cover on that side once we're away from the building."

"It's our best option," said Joey, and she reached into her bag. "Don't shoot unless you absolutely have to," she warned as she handed Charlie one of the guns. "We don't have many bullets left and we don't want to draw every cop here."

"Speak for yourself," muttered Charlie.

"Charlie, if we don't make it," Joey started to say, then stopped. She was lost momentarily in Charlie's eyes. "Oh fuck it," she said, seizing the moment by pressing her lips to a startled Charlie's. "I meant those words before," she said. "I love you, Charlie, I truly do, and I just wanted to say that one last time." Unlike before, Joey this time felt a weight lifting from her with those words, because if this was to end up being her last stand, she'd at least die with Charlie knowing the truth. That she really did love her.

"Joey," Charlie murmured, her heart pounding inside her chest. "This really isn't the right time," she lamely said.

"I know."

Danger was right outside, they may even have to shoot their way to safety. They could be hurt, or worse. It was now or never, Charlie decided, finally opening her heart to what her mind had been trying to deny. It didn't matter that Joey was a criminal, or that she was a cop, or that this truly was the most inappropriate and fucked up time to be doing this, she just didn't care. This could be her only chance to tell Joey.

"Come on, we have to move," Joey said, before those three words could come to Charlie's lips.


	41. Chapter 41

Joey peered out the window. Charlie had been right. Their exit would be hidden, but not for long. The fence line was at least fifteen or so meters away, and unfortunately, there was nothing but open space in between. They'd be completely visible to Pee Wee and Brodie, unless they somehow got lucky and those idiots were looking the other way. Given how things were currently progressing, Joey doubted she and Charlie would ever be so lucky. Still, it would at least give them more of a chance than just staying here waiting for them to come in. She looked to Charlie.

"Ok, you ready to do this?" said Joey.

"Not really," admitted Charlie. "But I'd rather not stay here." She'd actually rather call the cops for help, but if she did that, she knew Joey would only be even more determined to leave before they got here, and in doing so, put herself at greater risk by going it alone. Once more Charlie found herself at odds with who she was, all because of Joey. The cop in her knew that calling for help was the right decision, the only responsible decision, yet still she couldn't do it, and she knew damn well why she couldn't, just as she now realised why her more recent behaviour was uncharacteristic for her. Hell, she couldn't even say those three words that was the cause of her behaviour, and as each minute went by with silence from her, she feared her chance had passed.

"Are you ok, Charlie?" Joey asked when she noticed her pensive expression.

"Just worried about what happens next," Charlie said, not a complete lie. She was worried, bloody worried in fact. Their next move was potentially their most dangerous to date.

"Ok, here we go," said Joey.

After checking to make sure there was no alarm attached to the window, Joey gently pulled it up, wincing when the window gave a groan. Pausing to see if it had been heard, she proceeded when no one came to investigate. When it was all the way up, Joey placed the end of a ruler between the sill and the fly wire screen. The clips holding the screen offered little resistance.

"Charlie, get ready to grab the screen when this last clip goes so it doesn't fall and make a noise," she told her.

Charlie moved into place next to Joey.

"Ready?" said Joey.

"Ready," replied Charlie, then nearly lost her grip when the screen came free, but managed to control it just in time and set it down against the outside wall.

"We're not going to have much time to do this," Joey warned as she prepared to climb through the window.

"We don't have any time at all," muttered Charlie.

"Fuck," Joey said when she saw what Charlie meant. Two other figures were moving toward the building and were now between them and the fence. Joey ducked beneath the window with Charlie, hoping they hadn't been seen, but there was no way the open window and fly screen would go unnoticed.

"Maybe they'll think we already got out," Charlie whispered.

"Joooo-eeeey," came a sing-song voice.

"Double fuck," muttered Joey.

"We know you're in there."

"Do you know who she is?" Charlie asked her.

"A psychotic bitch who enjoys hurting people a little too much," replied Joey. "Tegan Callahan."

Charlie had heard of her and agreed with Joey's description of her. From what the Police knew, though had never been able to prove, Tegan Callahan had been linked to numerous disappearances and violent acts of torture, and right now, she and Joey were caught between her and Pee Wee.

"Are you two friendly at all?" said Charlie, and she failed to notice the sudden discomfort Joey had at the question. "Like can you talk to her or something?"

"I'm pretty confident in saying there are no words available that would stop that crazy bitch from enjoying slicing us up."

* * *

"What the fuck are you two doing here?" Pee Wee hissed as he rounded the corner of the building.

"Brax said you finally answered the phone and told him where you were," Tegan replied. "He called us immediately afterward because he doesn't trust you to not fuck up again," she smugly added.

"Fuck you."

"No thank you," she said.

"Where's Brodie?" Hayley asked.

"The other side, keeping an eye on their car and the backdoor to this place."

"So they're definitely in there?"

"Brodie heard them inside and we haven't seen them leave."

"What about through that open window?" Tegan said, pointing to said window. "Did you even notice that?"

"Shit," mumbled Pee Wee. "Nah, we'd still have seen them if they left," he assured them, though a little less confidently. "Besides, we know Joey was injured, and so she can't get too far away without a car," he said.

"How do you know she's hurt?" asked Tegan.

"We found blood on the driver's seat of their car, and it had to be Joey driving, that's how," he said somewhat snarkely.

"Well there's no way that piece of twig cop could have carried Joey on her own, which means Joey can't be that badly hurt if she can walk," Tegan couldn't resist pointing out.

* * *

"Twig cop?" hissed an eavesdropping and outraged Charlie, only to be shushed by Joey.

* * *

"They're in there," Pee Wee asserted. "Now why don't you just shut the fuck up."

"My, aren't we in a mood."

"Fucking cunt," he muttered as he turned and walked back toward where Brodie was.

* * *

"What do we do now?" Charlie whispered.

"We could try and find somewhere to hide in here and hope they go away," Joey suggested with a shrug.

Charlie looked down at the gun in her hand. After losing her knife during her fight with the men earlier, this was her only weapon.

"Or we can shoot our way out," said Joey when she saw how Charlie was looking at her gun.

"That seems even more suicidal now that it's 4-to-2 in their favour."

Charlie was right. Joey sighed in defeat. "Ok, we call the cops, and hope they get here in time."

"Joey."

"If it's the only way to protect you Charlie, then I'm willing to face the consequences of my actions with the police."

Charlie was speechless. Joey had confessed her love for her, and now to give up her freedom for her, was almost too much for Charlie.

"I think you should be the one to make the call though," Joey told her.

"There's a phone in the other room," Charlie said, grateful to have a moment away from Joey to gather her thoughts. "I'll go and make the call." She started to crawl toward the door, then stopped. "Thank you Joey."

"Don't thank me just yet," she said. "Not until we both get out of here in one piece."

* * *

Tegan knew they still were in there, she could sense it. How to get to them though, was the problem. Rushing in was stupid. Even a wounded Joey was a dangerous Joey, especially if she was armed. They needed a way to flush them outside or to get them to surrender. She smiled when it came to her.

"Hails, how about you get our little treat for Joey from the car boot," Tegan said with a malicious tone.

"Right away babe."

* * *

"What are you smirking at?" an annoyed Pee Wee asked of his friend.

"While you were chatting with Tegan, I was making sure those women can't contact anyone on the outside," Brodie replied with a snigger, feeling extremely pleased at his own initiative.

* * *

One look at Charlie's expression when she returned to the room, told Joey all she needed to know. They were screwed.

"There's no dial tone," Charlie informed the unsurprised Joey. "They must have cut the phone line outside."

"Fuck," Joey muttered, wishing now she'd found the time to steal another mobile. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Could this day get any worse?


	42. Chapter 42

"We're screwed, aren't we?" Charlie asked.

"It appears so," said Joey. She looked to Charlie with a sad smile. "I'm sorry."

Charlie shook her head. "This isn't your fault," she told her, then smiled wryly at Joey's arched brow. "Well, not entirely."

"It should never have come to this," she murmured. As much as she'd tried to get away from this life, every path she'd taken since, had led to this, and she'd dragged poor Charlie along for the ride.

"What's done is done," said Charlie.

"We're not completely done," Joey said. "We still have another option."

"Shoot our way out," Charlie said without any enthusiasm for what was pretty much a last resort.

"I know the odds are worse off now that the bad guys outnumber us, but the alternative is to just sit and wait for them to come in here after us," Joey pointed out.

Charlie shivered, hating that alternative even more, because she knew that with those particular people out there, death wouldn't be quick or merciful. They'd inflict as much pain on them as possible before finishing the job, in spite of the time constraints. Perhaps trying to shoot their way out and dying in a hail of bullets wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

Tegan caressed the weapon her girlfriend had just retrieved from the boot of the car. It was a highly illegal rifle with a specially made silencer and bullets that wouldn't be stopped by pesky walls. She loved her knives, but she kept this handy as a special treat for those who chose to make life hard for her, and those bitches were certainly doing that.

"I'm jealous at the way you're fondling that," Hayley joked.

"Don't worry baby, once we're done with those bitches and out of this dump, I promise to give you the best fucking you've ever had."

"That's a pretty big promise."

"And have I ever failed to deliver?"

"Never," grinned Hayley. "Now let's get this done."

"As you wish," said Tegan. She checked the weapon over, then raised it toward the open window. She lowered the weapon until the scope was just under the sill and fired.

* * *

"Fuck me!" Charlie blurted out as a bullet went whizzing by her ear, barely missing as it struck a cabinet at the far side of the room.

"She's just playing games with us," Joey told her in as calming a voice as she could muster. "Tegan prefers to see the faces of her victims as she kills, it's why a knife is her weapon of choice."

"That wasn't a fucking knife that just put a hole in the wall right between us."

"It's just a tactic to try to get us to break cover or surrender."

"What if she actually hits us?"

"Then at least it'll be quick," said Joey with absolutely seriousness. "Unlike how it will be if she gets her hands on us."

"Oh god," muttered Charlie.

* * *

"Shoot again, shoot again," Hayley sang as she jumped up and down with the excitement of a small child.

"Not just yet," said Tegan. "I want to play with them first."

Hayley stilled and looked at her girlfriend. "Is that a good idea," she asked. "We're out here in the open with a fucking big gun," she said. "What if someone notices?"

"Then they'll wish they hadn't," Tegan stated in a way that made Hayley shiver, but in a good way. She loved it when her girlfriend talked tough.

* * *

"The scales have just tipped even more in their favour," Charlie said. "I honestly can't see how we can shoot our way to freedom when they can shoot at us right through the wall."

Joey looked momentarily pensive, then she smiled.

"We need a distraction of some sort," Joey declared. "There has to be something in here we can use against them and to our advantage," she said.

"Such as?"

"It's a surgery, if we can find the right chemicals, I can probably make some Molotov's or a smoke screen of some sort."

"Are you kidding me?" said Charlie.

"What other choice do we have?" replied Joey. "We have to try something, and if we can get them looking the wrong way, while we make our escape, then it may give us a chance at least," she said. "Do you have a better idea?"

Charlie sighed and shook her head.

"Then look for stuff we can use," said Joey. "Cleaning chemicals will be the best, and anything else you think will come in handy."

"Ok," Charlie said.

"You take one room, I'll take another and we'll meet in the surgery," Joey said. "Just try to keep low in case Tegan gets trigger happy again."

* * *

"Tegan looks like she has the right idea," Brodie mentioned as his attention was split between what their colleagues were up to and the vet's place.

"Tegan can get fucked," muttered Pee Wee. There was no way in hell he was going to let Tegan end up with bragging rights. "We need to get inside there, instead of standing here twirling our dicks," he said. "And before that silly bitch kills them."

"But we want them dead," Brodie said.

"Yeah, but what do you reckon Brax will do to us if we let them beat us to it?" he said. "We've fucked up one too many times already, so unless you want to stay on his permanent shit list, then we have to be the ones to wring the necks of that traitorous bitch and her cop buddy."

* * *

"I found this," Charlie said when she and Joey met up after their gathering mission.

"A tranquiliser gun?"

"Just in case we need to silently immobilise one of them without drawing attention to us."

"Good idea," said Joey. "Double the dose so they will go down quicker," she advised as she started to fill the containers she'd found with the collected chemicals.

"Can you really do something with this lot?"

"I have some ideas that will have them thinking twice," said Joey with a grin. "One or two could be rather loud though."

"Well, if it alerts the cops, then that would be a good thing, right?"

"It's not quite the same as making a phone call," said Joey. "If we start calling too much attention to this place, those bastards out there will just come charging straight in to finish us off before the cops can even get here," she pointed out.

"I guess so," muttered Charlie.

"It doesn't mean we can't make a noise," said Joey. "It just means if we do, we'll need to make a run for it."

"And with any luck, we'll run into the cops on their way here," said Charlie, liking the plan a little more now.

"Lucky for some perhaps," Joey mumbled under her breath. Just because she was willing to call the cops for Charlie's safety, it didn't mean she had to look forward to giving up her freedom.

"Is there anything you can't do?" Charlie asked as she watched Joey measure and mix the chemicals.

"Do things that are legal," she quipped, then Joey shrugged. "I guess when you're around the people I've been around, you pick up a few things over the years and they're not always the right things."

"You need better friends," Charlie couldn't help saying.

"I never said they were friends," Joey said. "But you do have a point, which was one of the reasons why I wanted to get away from the life," she said. "That doesn't look like happening now though," Joey murmured too low for Charlie to hear.

"Is there something I can do to help?" asked Charlie.

"Can you make up some Molotov's while I do this lot?" Joey said to her.

"No Molotov's," Charlie said.

"You didn't object before when I mentioned it."

"I've had time to think," said Charlie. "And I don't want to start a fire that would place the animals here at risk, or the neighbouring houses," she said. "It's too dangerous."

"What if it was more for show and would burn out in seconds with little to no damage?" Joey said. "Come on Charlie, I get where you're coming from, but this could be the difference between life and death."

"I'm still a cop," she said. "But if you've got a recipe that will spook them without causing too much damage, then I'll make it up."

"Fair enough," Joey said and relayed the ingredients to her.

* * *

"I think I can pick this lock," Brodie said as he examined the door.

"Do it," ordered Pee Wee.

* * *

"I think that's the best bang for our buck we're going to get," Joey joked as she and Charlie looked at the bottles lined up before them.

"Have our chances improved?" Charlie asked doubtfully.

"They're probably better than they were, but not by much," said Joey. "This is going to be as dangerous as hell and it could all still blow up in our faces."

"I always did want to go out with a bang," Charlie said.

"We can do this Charlie," she said with much more confidence.

"You're right, we can," said Charlie. "We just need a shit load of luck on our side," she added with a wry grin.

"Anything is possible," said Joey. "Ok, we've got the plan in place, now all we need to do is to execute it."

Charlie cocked her head. "What the fuck is that god awful noise?" she said. "It sounds like someone strangling a cat."

* * *

"What the fuck are you dumb bitches doing?" Pee Wee hissed as he raced toward them, having left Brodie working on the door. "You'll bring every fucking cop here."

Tegan just sang more loudly.

* * *

Joey grimaced at the out of tune voice singing Concrete Blonde's, Joey. Tegan really did have a voice like fingernails down a blackboard, even though she thought she was the next Vanessa Amorossi.

 _"Oh Joey, I'm not angry anymore,"_ Tegan sang.

"Bullshit she isn't," muttered Joey, and she found Charlie staring at her.

"I'm guessing there was a little more than just friendship between you and Tegan Callahan after all," Charlie said with some derision and a tinge of jealousy she couldn't keep back.


	43. Chapter 43

"As in the friendly, sexual variety kind of way," Charlie said.

"Well, in my defence, it was just the once and I was totally drunk at the time," Joey replied a little sheepishly.

"And how did you leave it with her?" said Charlie. "Did you piss her off, break her heart, leave it in such a way that ensures she'll take extra special care in making us suffer if she gets her hands on us?"

"Tegan's always pissed off with someone or something, so it's always a little hard to know when it's a serious kind of pissed off or not."

"I'm going to take a guess and go with you knowing you pissed her off in the serious kind of way."

"Like I said, I was drunk, it was a mistake."

"And she wanted more."

"Maybe for a day or two, but then she met her soul mate in that equally twisted girlfriend of hers."

"But she's still pissed off."

"Possibly."

Charlie continued to stare at her.

"Ok, the woman holds a grudge like no other, so yeah, she's still pissed."

"Oh that is just wonderful," drawled Charlie. "I barely escaped the clutches of two men already today, now I have to deal with a jealous ex and her current squeeze. It's like one twisted incestuous version of the Brady Bunch."

"Which one are you?" Joey couldn't help asking with a cheeky grin.

"Fucking pissed," said a less than amused Charlie. Charlie's earlier reluctance to shoot their way out was now making way for a sudden urge to shoot a certain person. To protect their ears from that dreadful sound was her lame excuse, though she knew damn well it was far more irrational than that. It was because of those three words she still couldn't say, even after Joey had offered her freedom up to protect her. Why was it proving so hard for her to say those words? Charlie shook her head in frustration. Why the fuck did she keep having these internal conversations at the worst possible time. So what if Joey had an ex, so did she. Of course, her exes weren't inclined to want them dead, as Joey's ex did.

Tegan's voice grew louder.

"Damn, that foghorn is going to bring everyone here if she doesn't shut up," Joey warned. "And if she's making that much noise, it can only mean our time has run out. They're coming in."

* * *

"You stupid fucking cunt," Pee Wee snarled and launched himself at Tegan. They landed on the ground in a tangle.

"Get off her!" Hayley shouted, pounding on his back.

"I'm trying to shut her fucking gob before someone calls the cops on us."

* * *

"What the fuck is going on out there?" Joey murmured. She made her way into the other room and crept over to the window, wanting to see what was going on. Her brow rose at what she saw.

* * *

Tegan struck out at the makeshift bandage on Pee Wee's arm and he howled in pain.

"Get the fuck off me you piece of shit," she said, digging her fingers into his arm. He backed away, a look of absolute fury on his face.

"When we're done here, you're dead," he hissed.

"I'd love to see you try," Tegan taunted. "You're a dead set loser, Pee Wee, that's why Brax sent me and Hails here to clean up your mess."

"Oh, I know exactly why you're here," he said, a cruel smile on his face. "You want another piece of Joey's arse before she'd dead.'

"Another piece?" Hayley said in confusion.

"Oh, you didn't know your precious Teegs used to fuck Joey," Pee Wee took great pleasure in revealing. "They were inseparable."

* * *

"No we fucking weren't," Joey hissed from inside. "It was a one fucking night stand, and I did my best to keep my distance from her the moment I sobered up."

"I don't really care," Charlie said, still pissed with her, even though it was stupid to be so.

* * *

"They used to let me watch them going at it," Pee Wee said. Seeing the green spark of anger in Hayley's eyes, he pressed on. "Come on Hayley, even you can't deny how much Teegs loves having an audience when she fucks."

* * *

"He wasn't there that night," Joey hurriedly told Charlie. "He's just trying to get back at Tegan through Hayley."

"I honestly don't fucking care," Charlie muttered. "I really fucking don't." Boy, could she sound any less convincing?

* * *

"I used to picture Teeg's mouth on my cock whenever she went down on Joey and I'd get so hard at the thought of that warm, wet mouth sucking me off as enthusiastically as she sucked off Joey over and over again, that I'd shoot my load all over them."

"Shut the fuck up," Tegan snapped. "He's fucking making it up," she told her girlfriend.

"So you never fucked Joey?"

"Once, but I was drunk and she threw herself at me."

* * *

"That lying bitch," Joey muttered.

* * *

"If that's all it was, then why am I only hearing about it now?"

"Oh come on Hails, it was before you were mine."

"It's not just that," she said. "It's that in the whole time we've been chasing these women, you said nothing about having fucked one of them," Hayley snapped in an angry voice. "Is that why you let him go? Because you didn't want to upset your lover if she found out about him."

"What the fuck!" said Tegan. "We were heading into a town swarming with cops on the lookout for strangers, and so it would have been stupid to have risked being pulled over with a half dead guy in the boot," she said. "Jesus Hayley, you even agreed with me that dumping him in the fucking bushes was the best thing to do."

* * *

"Who are they talking about?" Charlie asked.

"No idea," replied Joey. Elijah was the only person she knew to have been in the area, and there was no way they'd have been able to take him down and stick him in a car boot. Who had it been then?

* * *

"That was before," Hayley huffily said.

"Of for fuck's sake, Hails, I love you, I never loved that bitch."

* * *

"I suddenly have a crazy idea," Joey said to Charlie. "Just get ready to move," she told her

* * *

"I don't believe you," said Hayley.

"I swear, Joey meant nothing to me."

"That's not true," Joey yelled out, with a wink to Charlie. "You told me you loved me every time we made love."

Charlie glared at her, even as she realised what Joey was doing. She just hoped Joey knew what she was doing in antagonising these people in such a way. It was like kicking over an ants nest.

"And I loved you, Teegs," Joey called out.

"Fuck you Joey," Tegan screeched.

"We did, repeatedly."

"She's lying," Tegan said, trying to appeal to her furious girlfriend.

"Tegan is the one who is lying," Pee Wee said. "I bet she never mentioned how Heath and Brax used to double team her in front of us."

"Actually, I know all about the old gang initiation for women," snarled Hayley. "And it says as much more about you fucking losers disrespecting women than anything else," she said.

"Oh, we respected all our women," he smirked. "Those fine, tight pussies gripping our cocks deserved the utmost respect, and we treated them accordingly with repeated and enthusiastic pounding."

"Don't talk like that," Hayley said.

"Yeah, you pathetic loser," Tegan joined it. She wasn't ashamed of her past behaviour. Things were done differently now, but back then, when it was just a gang of hoodlums, the group sex was just a part of the culture which she'd freely accepted at the time, because it was her only chance of getting away from her mother's fists. She'd also been a naïve seventeen-year-old girl desperate for attention, and so she'd enjoyed being the centre of attention of those men, especially after Heath took her for his, and his alone. She'd have preferred that Brax had knocked her up, but having Heath's kid was the next best thing. It had still set her up for life, and put her in a position to meet the love of her life, even if Hails was pissed at her right now. Not bad for someone her mother told would never amount to anything.

"Don't go thinking this gets you off the hook for your lies," Hayley said to her, their arguing now getting louder and louder.

* * *

"I think they've forgotten about us for the moment," Joey whispered. No surprise really. Any relationship between two passionately volatile women like Tegan and Hayley was always bound to suffer from intense jealousy, and having Pee Wee anywhere near Tegan generally resulted in fireworks, unless there was a referee like Heath around to keep them apart. All together, it made for a pretty lethal mix, especially if the right spark was thrown into the middle of them, as she'd just done. Perhaps their luck was finally turning after all. "Come on, this is our chance to escape."

"There's still one missing."

Brodie.

"We can handle him between the two us if he gets in our way," Joey assured her.

"With all that noise going on, someone has to have called the cops by now, so we could just wait here for them while those idiots are busy arguing."

"Until they remember why they're here, oh, and that a very pissed off woman still has a big gun that shoots through walls," Joey pointed out. "I knew how to press their buttons to get a reaction like this, but we do not want to be in here when Tegan decides to turn her attention back to us, because this time, it won't be to play with us."

"Fair point," said Charlie, still a little jumpy from the bullet barely missing earlier. "But what about this stuff?" she said, pointing to the bottles. "Do we still use it?"

"Nah, they're distracted enough, and tossing that lot now would just get their attention instead," she said. Joey did however, pick up a couple of bottles. "Just in case we need it later," she told Charlie, as Charlie followed her lead and picked up two of her own.

* * *

"This is fucking ridiculous," Tegan said, throwing up her hands in disgust as the arguing continued. "Just fuck off back to your mate and let us professionals deal with these bitches," she sneered to Pee Wee.

"The only professional you are, is a professional whore," he replied, then his eyes were left watering when Hayley smacked the butt of the rifle into his nose. "Owww," he screamed, his broken nose streaming with blood.

"You want this dealt with babe, I'll deal with it," Hayley said, turning the gun toward the building. "I'll fucking make Swiss cheese of that traitorous cunt."

"You look so fucking hot holding that gun," Tegan said.

"You're still on my shit list," she told her. "But thanks, baby." Hayley smirked. "Prepare to die Joey."


	44. Chapter 44

Over an hour had passed since her last conversation with Robertson, yet Graves had ordered Dex to do one more sweep of the town. It was a feeling more than anything that had her disobeying Robertson's instruction to head out of town if they hadn't found any sign of them within an hour. It was risky and she'd cop it if it backfired on her, but she was prepared to take the heat. After all, Robertson had always told her to trust her instincts and that's exactly what she was doing.

She smiled wryly to herself. Of course he wouldn't see it that way. He'd tear strips off her if she fucked this up, and she wouldn't really blame him. This had gone on long enough and the pressure was building with every passing minute, and as senior officer, Robertson would be the one having to deal with the consequences of losing a witness, along with Nick.

"How much longer?" Dex asked.

Before Graves could answer, her phone went. She breathed a sigh of relief at not seeing Robertson's number on the screen.

"Graves," she said in reply.

"We just got a report of a disturbance at the Holder's Veterinary Surgery," Const. Garner told her.

"What sort of disturbance?" she asked.

"A heated argument between two women and a man," replied Teri. "The caller also said there's a window that's wide open and she swears she saw a rifle. It sounds like it could be the people we're after."

"Ok, give me the address and we'll be right there."

"I'm already on my way," said Teri. "I'll meet you there."

* * *

Finding the lock a little more difficult to pick than expected, Brodie was still working on it when the door suddenly flew open. He looked up in surprise.

"What the!" he said, succumbing to the tranquiliser before he even knew what had happened.

"Like I said, just in case we needed to deal with them in silence," Charlie whispered with a smug smile as she reloaded the tranquiliser gun.

"If we had the time, I'd kiss you right now," Joey said, then realised she'd said it aloud by the look on Charlie's face. "Just forget it," she mumbled.

"Let's just get the fuck out of here," Charlie said, just as Hayley opened fire from the other side of the building. "Fuck me," she murmured when she heard the commotion behind them. "I hope the animals will be ok."

"They're in the room furthest from her," Joey told her. "They should be fine."

"God I really do hope someone has called the cops by now," she said.

"I'd say so," said Joey. "But we can't hang around here waiting for them."

"Yeah, not after you pissed off a couple of psychotic women like that."

"Hey, it distracted them, didn't it?" Joey said, checking to make sure the coast was clear. "At least long enough to get out of there."

"I suppose so," Charlie murmured, still hoping that the cops would miraculously show up before they had to run, even knowing that Joey was wishing the opposite.

"This is our best chance Charlie, let's not waste it."

* * *

Pee Wee, having left those lunatics to make their mess, came around the side of the building to find his friend lying prone on the ground and the backs of two women fleeing in the distance.

"You fucking bitches!" he shrieked, all sense of discipline gone. He was too fucking pissed off and sore to worry about the cops or Brax. All he wanted was revenge for the hassles those dumb whores had caused him. Abandoning his prone mate, Pee Wee set off after Charlie and Joey.

* * *

"Hails, stop," Tegan said.

"Why, you worried about your lover being hurt," her girlfriend snidely replied, and fired off another round.

"Would you give it a rest, Hails," Tegan snapped. "I just heard Pee Wee yelling."

"So?"

"So, I think he was yelling at our targets."

Hayley lowered the gun when she realised what her girlfriend was getting at. "Shit."

"Shits right," said Tegan. "I think they've done a runner."

"Damn it, I want that bitch dead," she snarled nastily.

"And you'll get that wish," Tegan assured her.

"Really?"

"I promise baby," Tegan said, circling her arms around Hayley's waist. "I will personally kill Joey myself, and make it as painful as possible if it will prove to you once and for all, that you're the woman I love, and only you."

"I want to be there when you do it."

"You can help if you want."

Hayley smiled, and it was a cold, ugly smile that turned Tegan on. Tegan leant in and kissed her. It was quick, but deep and the look in Hayley's eyes when their lips parted was far more welcoming that it was a few minutes ago. It was a start, and if she followed through on her promise, she and Hails would be as strong as ever, and this little misunderstanding would be in the past.

"I'll follow them, you get the car, and try to cut them off from the other direction," Tegan told her. "Then we take them, get the hell away from all these cops, and then you can ask me to do whatever you want to them, and I'll do it."

"Thank you baby," Hayley said, then rushed back to the car while Tegan set off after their quarry.

* * *

It didn't take long for Joey to realise that she and Charlie had become separated during their hasty flight. It must have happened when they'd jumped into one of the yards and a dog had gone at them. Both of them had just bolted, obviously in differently directions.

"We really do have to work on that," she muttered, her injured shoulder aching from the strain she'd subjected it to as she kept on the path she'd taken. Charlie knew what the plan was, so she just had to trust that Charlie would find her way there, and then if there was no sign of Charlie after a short time, she'd just have to go back and find her, because there was no way in hell Joey was going to leave her behind, especially after all of this.

So Joey just ran, all the while keeping an eye out for their pursuers, and a car she could steal, and hoping like hell that Charlie would be there when she got there.

* * *

Charlie had kept running, even after she'd noticed Joey was no longer at her side, she just kept going, knowing that if anyone could get out of this, Joey could, and so all Charlie had to do, was keep running toward their destination, and Joey would be there waiting for her. She better be waiting for her, she thought, because for all her anger at Joey over the day's revelations, she loved her too much to see any harm come to her. Charlie nearly tripped over at those words. She'd known the truth, yet she hadn't said the words directly, either to Joey or even really in her own thoughts, not like that, and now that she had, it made her even more determined to run toward Joey. She needed to tell her before it was too late.

* * *

"The animals were all unharmed, but the front of the place is a right mess," Teri Garner informed them the moment Graves and Dex arrived on the scene. "It must have been a bloody big gun to cause that damage," she said. "I already sent an alert to be careful when apprehending them."

"Good work," said Graves. She looked at the ground near their prisoner. "Is that a tranq dart?"

"Yep, it was found near his body," Teri replied. "He's out cold," she told them. "This is one of them, isn't it?"

Graves nodded. "This is Brodie Upton, usually accompanied by Peter Wilson, aka, Pee Wee," Graves said. "They go way back with the Braxtons, right back to when they were just a gang of thugs."

"Then this is a good catch."

"A very good catch, especially if we can get him to talk," replied Graves. "Make sure he's secured both in the ambulance and at the hospital," she told her. "And once he's given the all clear, take him straight to the Station."

"What if he asks for a lawyer?"

"Get him one," said Graves. "We don't want to give his defence any ammunition of impropriety on our part, especially with all this talk of corrupt officers," she said. "We do this absolutely by the book."

"Will do," said Teri.

Graves nodded to her again, then turned to one of the other officers, a Const. Hogan. He was like a giant next to her, yet he didn't use his size to intimidate her.

"Any word on their whereabouts?" she asked him.

"Yeah, they were seen running in that direction," he replied, pointing that way.

"What's in that direction?"

"If they keep going straight, then it's a couple of blocks of houses, before heading into the bush," Hogan told her. "It's pretty heavy bush, especially in this fading light, and since they're not locals, they could easily get lost in there unless they stick to the tracks."

"They were on foot, right?"

"Yes. We located one car at the end of the street and another one here, which had blood on the seat," he said. "We haven't received any reports of any missing cars in the neighbourhood, so we assume they're still on foot."

"Ok, if they remain on foot, then hopefully it won't be long before we can catch up to them."

"Avery and Fitzgerald are already following their trail."

"Good," said Graves. "Now, you said there was blood in the car?"

"That's right. It matches the description of the car that sideswiped the pole," he replied. "There's bullet holes in it and the blood is on the driver's seat."

"That could explain the sideswipe then," said Graves. "So, one of them is injured," murmured Graves. Which one was it, Charlie or Joey? Graves shook her head. This was both good and bad news. Bad if it was a serious injury, but good in that it might be enough to slow them down. They needed these women found before they were hurt any further, and before innocent bystanders got caught in the middle. Graves glanced at her watch. And preferably before Robertson arrived, which gave them less than 30 minutes to achieve this.

* * *

Charlie slowed as she came to the tree line.

"Joey," she called out barely above a whisper. She felt stupid, because Joey wouldn't be able to hear her even if she was here. Charlie looked around. There was no sign of Joey and she felt too exposed standing out here like this, so she stepped across the tree line into the bushes.

* * *

Pee Wee smiled. His luck really was turning around today. He thought he'd lost them, only to catch a glimpse of the cop, all alone. He'd rather know where Joey was so he wouldn't have to watch his back, but on the other hand, it was going to be so much easier dealing with the cop on her own. He was going to enjoy silencing her.

* * *

"Fuck," Joey huffed as she'd had to divert from the path she'd been on to avoid a passing cop car. This was not the time to be held up by the cops, not when Charlie was still out there on her own, but it was becoming increasingly difficult for her to make her way to where she hoped Charlie was waiting. "Please wait for me, Charlie," she murmured as she darted down another path.

* * *

Under the failing light, it was even darker in here, and it was as scary as fuck. Charlie was a city girl, not used to the sounds of the bush and those sounds were freaking her out the further she went in. A twig snapped. Was that her foot on the twig or was someone else here?

"Joey," she whispered.

"Sorry, but Joey ain't coming to your rescue this time," Pee Wee said and Charlie swung around. She groaned when she saw the gun in his hand. This could very well be the end for her. "I already took care of her."

"I don't believe you," Charlie said.

"I did her nice and quick," he said with a voice full of such conviction that Charlie's own wavered. Joey couldn't be dead, she just couldn't. "You, I'm going to do nice and slow."

"Why, what have I ever done to you?"

"You got involved in something that was none of your business," he replied. "Oh, and I just don't like cops," he said. "Unless I'm fucking them up the arse," he sniggered, grabbing his crotch for effect.

"I didn't know you were gay," Charlie said.

"I'm not a fucking poof," he snapped.

Joey was right about these people, they had short fuses and were easily distracted, so she might as well try the same tactic, and if it failed, well, then maybe he'd be so pissed off as to kill her quickly and spare her the torture.

"You just said you liked fucking them up the arse."

"Fucking bitches up the arse," he said. "Do you think I'd waste this cock on a fairy? Oh no, this is purely a pussy drilling cock."

"If you're getting them up the arse, then you're obviously aiming for the wrong hole."

"You fucking bitch, I'll do you just like I've done those other cop bitches on our payroll."

"Yeah, right."

"Oh, believe me, I've done my share of cops, some willing, some not so willing, but they all took it just the same, because once they're working for us, we own their arses, just as we own their loyalty."

"Even Watson?"

"Oh yeah, I love her best when she's taking it up the arse while gobbing down on another cock, and having another stuck in her pussy," he boasted. "No complaining from her mouth, just the sounds of hard fucking and enjoyment from taking three big cocks at once," he said.

"I thought she was gay."

"She is, but like I said, we own their arses, including hers, and if I want it, I take it," he told her. "Watson is a particular favourite of mine, because she can take every inch of my cock in whatever hole I stick it in. She really is a deep throat," he cackled.

"Is that right Watson?" Charlie said. "You let him use you like a sex toy whenever he wants it?"

Pee Wee threw back his head and laughed at her. "Don't play that 'oh look, she's behind you' game, I'm not an idiot," he said.

"She really is behind you."

"No she's fucking not," he said. "And even if she were, that would make it two to one against you, you dumb bitch, now on your fucking knees."

"Why?"

He just smirked at her and Charlie shivered at the predatory expression on his face.

"Watson, please don't let him do this."

"Oh just shut the fuck up about Watson," Pee Wee said. "It's just the two of us here, now on your fucking knees, bitch," he said. "I'm about to silence you, then shoot you."


	45. Chapter 45

"You won't get away with this," Charlie said, her eyes silently appealing for help.

"Oh yes I will and there's not a damn thing you can do to stop me," Pee Wee confidently stated.

Charlie weighed her chances of being able to toss one of the Molotov bottles at him before he shot her, and they weren't great, especially with the newest factor to take into account. She now regretted her inability to tell Joey the truth, because unless she could somehow appeal her way out of this, she would never have the chance to tell Joey or even to see her again.

"I'm going to enjoy silencing you before I put a bullet between your eyes," he said.

"A bullet will silence me, so why are you waiting?" she dared him.

"Oh, I have a far more enjoyable way of silencing you first," he said with an ugly leer. "A cop on her knees with my cock in her mouth is my favourite kind of cop. Silent, except for her groans letting me know how much she's enjoying it." He laughed as he unzipped his fly. "Now prepare to be silenced."

"Are you really going to just stand there and let this happen?" Charlie asked, her voice and eyes almost pleading now.

"Damn right I am," he said.

"I wasn't talking to you," Charlie said. "I was talking to Watson."

"Oh for fuck's sake, shut the fuck up about that dumb cunt."

"Who's the dumb cunt?" a voice said from behind Pee Wee. He spun around and found himself face-to-face with Watson's gun.

* * *

Joey arrived at the tree line. They hadn't really specified an exact spot, but a look to her left, then to her right, showed no sign of Charlie in the fading light. Joey glanced at her watch. Charlie should be here by now, unless she had been forced to take detours to avoid the cops as well, and so she could still be on her way here. As soon as she thought that, Joey was shaking her head, doubting that Charlie would deliberately avoid the cops like that, since she'd been hoping for their arrival. She sighed heavily. Maybe she herself should have stopped one of those cop cars instead of hiding, but it was a natural instinct of hers to run in the opposite direction, and she also couldn't afford to waste time explaining everything to them, not when Charlie was out here somewhere.

Was that Charlie's voice she just heard? Joey cocked her ear, trying to hear it again. There is was. In the bushes. The darkened bushes. Fuck. Then another thought occurred. If she could hear Charlie's voice, she had to be talking to someone else. Fuck. Joey tried to gauge in which direction Charlie was, which was difficult with all the other noises and the way in which Charlie's voice sounded muffled through the dense bush. Taking a shot, she darted into the bushes, hoping like hell that Charlie wasn't in danger.

* * *

Pee Wee glared at Watson. "Oh, you really are here," he mumbled.

"Yeah, and I heard what you said about how much I like taking three cocks at once," said Watson. "I guess when you have a tiny dick, you really do need the help of others."

Despite the situation, Charlie couldn't help but have a silent snigger at that as she planned to use the distraction to her advantage.

"And honestly, yours must be so small since I didn't feel a thing," she said. "Then again, we both know that you with any woman occurs more in your dreams, than in reality, and it sure as hell is only in your dreams that you'd ever have any shot with me, you dickless wanker."

"Bitch," he muttered. He'd always hated her, and he hated her even more right now, and if she so much as flinched, he'd happily take her out permanently, with or without permission from Heath.

"You look like shit," Watson smirked at Pee Wee. "Been letting a bunch of girls beat you up, have we?"

"Fuck you bitch."

"I thought we already agreed that was only ever possible in your dreams," she said. "Don't even think about it, Charlie," Watson then warned when she saw Charlie raise her hand. "Drop the bottles."

Charlie hesitated, but under the unwavering stance from her former partner, she reluctantly placed the bottles on the ground.

"What the hell are you doing here?" sneered Pee Wee in an effort to regain control of the situation.

"What I set out to do," replied Watson.

"You fucked that up."

"Neither of us are in any position to gloat over the others failures," Watson said.

"Yeah, but you're not so tough now that you've been undressed for what you really are," Pee Wee said. "No shiny uniform to make you feel special." He ran his eyes up the length of her body with a condescending sneer. "Definitely not so special in that get up."

Charlie had to agree. Watson had changed her appearance, and her new look really did nothing for her, but as it appeared no one had connected her to the image being flashed everywhere, it must be proving effective, which probably counted for more than whether she looked pretty or not.

"Just get out of here," Pee Wee ordered.

"No."

"This is my score, not yours," he asserted. "I was here first, so let me finish what I started."

"Watson, you know exactly what he intends to do to me," Charlie said, appealing directly to her. "As a fellow woman, are you really going to let that happen?"

An hour ago, Charlie would have loved nothing better than to have decked Watson before slapping the cuffs on her, yet at this moment, this woman that she loathed, may very well be her only way out of this. If only Charlie could appeal to the woman in her.

* * *

"Damn it," Joey muttered when she stumbled over some sticks. She had somehow gotten herself turned around in here, and the voices were now behind her. She hated the fucking bush, she muttered as she headed off in what she now hoped was the right direction.

* * *

It was only a few nights ago that Watson had found herself in a similar situation, where a woman was about to be raped, and she was the only one in a position to save her from it. Watson genuinely hated any man who abused a woman, only this time, she was conflicted. Charlie had to die, that's why she'd headed straight here after Steph had learned of their location, and relayed it to her. Even knowing the cops were all over the place, she'd still entered this town. It was a massive risk on her part, yet the risk of doing nothing had been greater. After her earlier fuck ups, the only way she could hope to ever walk away from all of this without a target being placed on her back, was to complete her job by taking out Charlie and Joey. That's why she took the risk in coming here, that's why luck had played in her favour when she'd spotted Tegan's car and followed her to where Charlie and Joey had been hiding. She'd sat and watched the scene play out before her, wincing with the increasing noise they'd made, but choosing not to enter the shit fight in case the cops arrived. Then luck struck again, when she saw Pee Wee sprinting after someone, so she'd followed him, and that's why she was in this position now, because she had taken the risks and because she knew this was her only option. She couldn't waver now, not when one of her targets was right here in front of her. So what if Pee Wee toyed with Charlie first, it's not as if the woman would live long enough afterward to be able to wallow in her suffering. Besides, if she intervened in any way to stop him, Pee Wee would go squealing to Brax, but if she were to allow Pee Wee to do as he pleased with Charlie, then Pee Wee would have nothing to complain about. She was here to see it get done, so it wasn't a total failure on her part. It was a win-win for her really, especially if she were the one to then get to Joey first. All she had to do was look the other way while Pee Wee had his fun, and since Watson really did value her own life more than anything, she lowered her gun, and nodded to Pee Wee. His face was one of pure gloating and depravity as he turned his attention back to Charlie.

* * *

"I should be so lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky," Joey sang, then stopped herself when she realised what she was doing. "Oh god, I'm singing Kylie, please kill me now."

"Ok," a voice said to her left and the impact of Tegan crashing into her, sent Joey windmilling against a tree. The breath temporarily knocked out of her, she was unable to stop the blow to her jaw from the furious blonde's fist. She went down hard.


	46. Chapter 46

"Fuck," Joey moaned, feeling dizzy from the blows to her head and body that Tegan had just given her. She let out another moan when Tegan grabbed her ankles and dragged her away from the tree.

"I'm going to enjoy this so much Joey," Tegan said to her as she straddled the waist of the prone woman.

"Look Teegs."

"Don't call me that," she ground out through gritted teeth.

"You didn't mind it that night," Joey pointed out.

"You lost that right after you ditched me, you bitch," she snarled.

"We could always reacquaint ourselves," Joey said in a suggestive manner. "You know, one last time."

"No way, you've already put me on Hayley's shit list, and now you're going to pay for it."

"It's not my fault you weren't honest with her in the first place."

"Yeah well, I promised her you'd die and I intend to keep that promise," Tegan informed her. Then she smiled, and it was a smile that made Joey's blood run cold. She knew that smile. It was a smile at the promise of pain. "I'm going to do you slowly so you feel every individual cut," she told her as the knife appeared in her hand. "Just like I did with your big brother."

"Aden?" Joey said in shock.

"He'll likely be dead in the bushes by now."

That was who Hayley and Tegan had been talking about? Her brother?

"Of course, he's not really your brother, so you probably won't miss him that much," said a gleeful Tegan.

"You bitch!"

"Don't worry Joey, you'll be joining him soon," she sniggered.

"You always did have to have a big knife in your hands to get things done," said Joey. Her mind was clearing from the blows, allowing her to try to figure a way out of this, and one thing she knew for certain, was that she couldn't let her emotions make her dumb, so she had to set aside her worry for Aden for the moment. Besides, he was a tough son-of-a-bitch and if anyone could survive the psycho bitches, it was him, so if he was alive when they dumped him, then he still lived, no matter what they'd done to him. She had to believe that. Joey stared up at Tegan, her mind now clear. "And you only ever use them once you already have the advantage. You'd never be able to take me in a fair fight."

Tegan just laughed. "Like I care about fairness," she said. "It's about winning you stupid bitch, and to the victor goes the spoils."

"You haven't won yet," Joey said, her hand finally grasping onto a weapon, of sorts. Her shoulder was crying out in pain from the strain, but Joey didn't let it deter her. Tegan saw the movement, saw Joey's arm come up in a swinging motion, and she raised her own arm to protect herself as the branch connected. Tegan howled when it struck her right on the point of her elbow.

* * *

When Charlie saw Watson lower her gun and nod to Pee Wee, she knew no help would come from her. Her time was nearly out. Charlie flinched as a howl in the night reached their ears. Oh god, was that Joey? Was Joey still alive? Pee Wee had lied about his sexual encounters with Watson, maybe he had lied about killing Joey as well. If so, she needed to get to her. Then reality set back in. The reality of her impending rape, a rape that Watson wouldn't save her from. She had to save herself. The bottles were out of reach, but now that her hands were free, she could go for the tranquiliser gun. It was hooked into the waistband at the back of her pants, so neither of the bad guys had seen it yet. There was just one problem. It held only one dart at a time, so if she did this, Charlie knew she would be signing her death warrant, because she'd have no chance to reload and take the one still left standing out, before they shot her. The odds sucked, but at least it might spare her from rape, and if she were to die, she'd rather it be on her terms.

* * *

Tegan stared at her arm. It was going numb, yet hurt at the same time, but that wasn't what pissed her off.

"You ripped my fucking jacket, you bitch," she snarled. Hayley had given her this jacket for her birthday, the first birthday they had shared as a couple. It meant a lot to her for that reason.

"What are you, the fashion police now?" Joey jokingly said, swinging up again. This time Tegan caught the branch in her hand, but that distraction allowed Joey to bring her other arm up and hit Tegan in the kidneys with a clenched fist. The woman doubled over in pain, her head now nice and close to Joey. She head butted her. Tegan's head flew back, her cries of agony quickly silenced when Joey swung again, this time the branch connecting with Tegan's head. She slid off Joey, out cold. Joey got to her knees and picked up Tegan's knife. She gazed down at the helpless woman, whose life was now in her hands. Time to end this once and for all.

* * *

Pee Wee now stood between Charlie and Watson, so he was the only one she could realistically hit with the dart, not that it really mattered. She was dead either way.

"Just hurry up," Watson told him. "This place will be crawling with cops soon."

"Don't worry, this will be quick."

"I'm sure many women have been grateful for that fact."

He snarled at her, but didn't take his eyes off Charlie.

"You can watch if you like, Watson," Pee Wee said, advancing toward Charlie with lust in his eyes.

"No thanks," Watson said, shooting him in the back of the knee. He went down with a cry of pain. Clutching his knee, he yelled obscenities at her as she casually shot him in the balls. "You've hurt your last woman," she said, before ending his life completely. Shattered bone and brain matter showered the ground at their feet.

Charlie quickly recovered from her shock at Watson's actions, grabbed at the gun from behind her back, aimed and fired, the dart hitting Watson just above the heart.

"Shit," Charlie muttered when Watson didn't go down. Watson smiled as she pulled the dart from where it had stuck in the mobile phone she'd had in her breast pocket.

"That wasn't very nice." She tossed the dart away and pointed her gun at Charlie's head.

"But you just saved me," Charlie said.

"And you just tried to dart me as a thank you," she said. Watson kicked at the dead body in disgust. "I really do hate raping pieces of shit more than anything," even over her own life it turned out. She could clearly remember the fear and revulsion on Leah's face the night of her attack, and she'd seen that same look on Charlie's face as Pee Wee had moved toward her. It wasn't an image she wanted ingrained on her mind forever, nor had she wanted the cries of rape seared into her brain, so she'd done what she'd done. "And now he won't be able to hurt anyone again," Watson murmured. "But I think we both know this doesn't change anything. You still have to die, Charlie."

"Every cop in the vicinity would have heard those shots and will be streaming in here, and if you shoot again, they'll know our exact position," Charlie warned her. "You leave now, you might just make it."

Watson cocked her head. She could make out faint sounds that warned her that time was short, but she didn't lower the gun levelled at Charlie's head.

"You don't have to do this."

"I'm sorry, but I do," said Watson. "I have the cops after me already, and if I betray the Braxtons, I'll have a target on my back for the rest of my life." She shook her head. "No, my only chance to get out of this, is to finish what I started."

"How do you think the Braxtons will react when they find out you killed one of their friends?"

"I did no such thing," she said with a knowing smile. "You did. You killed Pee Wee, I saw you do it, right before I shot you."

"Georgie," Charlie said, using her Christian name to make it more personal. "Do you really think the Braxtons will let you live, even if you do kill me?" she said. "You're a cop whose cover has been blown, you're of no use to anyone now, except as a magnet for every other cop who wants to bring you down. You really think the Braxtons will keep you around with that kind of heat on you?"

"You think I haven't thought of that?" replied Watson. "Because I have and I fully intend to disappear, but after I do my job."

"Why not just go now?" said Charlie. "The Braxtons won't be expecting it right now, so you'll have more time to get away."

"They'll still come after me," she said. "No, my best chance is to kill you, and earn enough credit from the Braxtons to get them off my back before I disappear," Watson explained to her. "Then I'll only have to worry about the cops and they're easy to evade."

"Don't you get it!" Charlie all but shouted at her. "They won't let you live," she told her. "Look at Angelo Rosetta. It's all over the news that he was Pirovic's lover, that he refused to cooperate with the police, yet they still murdered him to ensure his silence," she said. "And as long as you live Georgie, you remain the same threat to them as Angelo Rosetta was and you know it."

"And if I run now, they'll definitely believe I betrayed them and it will be even worse for me," said Watson. "I really don't have a choice in this Charlie."

"There's always a choice," Charlie said. "You're a dead woman walking as far as the Braxtons are concerned. They can't risk you being captured by the police and talking, and so they won't stop until you're dead, just like Angelo Rosetta," she said, hammering that point home again. "But if you just disappear now, you may still be able to evade the cops and get clear from the Braxtons. Georgie, you know I'm right."

Watson just shook her head at her, her gun never wavering. Charlie sighed. This really was becoming the longest night in her life, and it felt as though no matter what she did, there was always someone else ready to step in with a gun to kill her. And now it may finally be at an end.

"I will make it quick, Charlie," Watson told her, her finger tightening on the trigger.


	47. Chapter 47

"We think either Buckton or Collins took a hit during the earlier shooting incident," Graves told Robertson after he'd arrived a little earlier than expected. He must have broken some speed limits, she surmised. She'd been hoping things would have been a little more in hand by the time he got here, but it wasn't to be, so she dealt with it as best she could. "There was blood in the car we believe was theirs, and bloodied cloth has been found amongst the mess in the surgery. They both appeared to have legged it out of here, so we're hopeful that the wound isn't too severe."

"It was definitely our particular duo then?"

"Yeah, we showed some photos to the neighbours and they confirmed it was Buckton and Collins that were seen fleeing through the back way from here."

"Good," Robertson said with a small nod. "Any further sign of them?"

"Not yet, but we have officers following their last sighted trajectory," she replied. "They were on foot, so I feel it's only a matter of time before we catch up with them."

"Assuming Braxton's people don't get to them first."

"We think there are at last four of them in town," Graves told him. "One already accounted for."

"How is Mr Upton?"

"He regained consciousness as he was being loaded into the ambulance," she said. "Once the doctor has assessed him at the hospital, he'll be formally charged and taken to the Station."

"Has he said anything?"

"Something about bloody bitches, followed by bloody Pee Wee, you fucking bastard," she replied with a smile. "I think he was pissed off with his mate for leaving him behind."

"Not the most loyal action by Mr Wilson."

"Yeah, well maybe it'll encourage Upton to be less loyal in return when it comes to saving his own arse."

"Doubtful," murmured Robertson. "While there may not be love lost between some of the foot soldiers, they are still loyal to Braxton, and in the case of the original gang members like Brodie Upton, they're loyal to a fault."

"That's because Braxton was always seen as untouchable," said Graves. "Now that we have a real chance of bringing him down, it may just loosen the tongues of some of those foot soldiers."

"I do admire your confidence."

"Well this has certainly helped to lift it," Graves said, showing him the bag. "It was found in the car that we suspect belonged to Upton and Wilson."

Robertson reached into the bag and pulled out one of the folders. He whistled at its contents as he flicked through it. "Is everything in there like this?"

"I haven't had a chance to go through every folder just yet, but the few I looked at will go a long way towards bringing those bastards down for good."

"Why on earth would they be carrying evidence like this around in their car?"

"No idea," said Graves. "Maybe Upton will be able to answer that when he's questioned."

"Assuming his lawyer will allow him to respond."

"He hasn't requested a lawyer."

"He will," said Robertson. "They always do."

* * *

Constable Lara 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald slammed on the brakes and looked to her partner, Const Patrick Avery.

"Did you hear that?" she asked him, just as two more gunshots rang out.

Avery nodded. "It sounded like they came from over there," he said, pointing toward the tree line.

"Call it in," she ordered as Fitzy was out of the car and racing toward the bushes before Avery had even picked up the radio.

* * *

In spite of the buzz of activity around them from the police officers performing their duties, and the noise of onlookers gossiping from the sidelines, the sound of gunshots could be heard across the blocks of houses to where Graves was still updating Robertson.

"Hogan," Graves called out as both she and Robertson immediately began heading toward the car.

"Yeah, I know, Avery just called it in," he said without needing her to ask. "The shots came from the bushland I told you about. He and Fitzy are going in to investigate."

"Tell them to be careful. Some of these people are dangerous and won't hesitate at shooting at cops," she told him.

"Will do."

"And send backup," she ordered. "We'll meet them there."

She jumped into the car and found Robertson wearing a pleased smile as he joined her.

"Well done with the way you've handled this," he said and she tried not to blush. Praise from her superior was a rare event, so she welcomed it those few times when it did occur. Graves fired up the engine, then caught Dex's eyes in the rear vision mirror. She hadn't even noticed he'd hopped into the backseat. God, don't go getting all girlie in front of Robertson, she admonished herself when Dex smiled at her. Dex is just a colleague, so act like it.

* * *

 _Watson just shook her head at her, her gun never wavering. Charlie sighed. This really was becoming the longest night in her life, and it felt as though no matter what she did, there was always someone else ready to step in with a gun to kill her. And now it may finally be at an end._

 _"I will make it quick, Charlie," Watson told her, her finger tightening on the trigger._

It was then that Charlie made a decision. Do nothing and she was dead anyway, so she started to back away from the other woman, all but daring Watson to pull the trigger. One step, then two, then three, then she was turning and fleeing at a sprint. When the shot didn't come, Charlie headed toward a sound that she prayed was help coming.

Watson watched her go, her gun tracking Charlie's back, but her finger refused to pull back on that trigger. In moments, Charlie was lost amongst the bushes and she was faced with a choice. The cops had to have heard her taking out Pee Wee and were already on their way, just as Charlie had said, so she could either go after Charlie and risk capture, or she could just get the hell out of here.

* * *

Two cars were already waiting for them when Graves and Robertson arrived a few minutes after the call had been made.

"You look like you have some news," Graves said to Teri Garner as they made their way toward the tree line.

"I do, I'm just not sure if it's relevant or not," she said, drawing level with the other woman, and keeping up with her hurried step. "A report just came in about a man found unconscious in the bushes just outside of town. He's in pretty bad shape. Looks like he's been tortured."

"Tortured?"

"He's got cuts all over his body."

"A signature of Tegan Callahan, a rather nasty piece of work," Robertson noted.

"And who also happens to match the description of one of the women seen arguing with Wilson at the vets," Graves pointed out. "Along with her girlfriend, Hayley O'Connor."

"Who is this man?" Robertson asked Teri with renewed interest.

"Unknown," replied Teri. "He had no id on him and Belle Taylor, the woman who found him, doesn't recognise him and she knows pretty much everybody here," she said. "So is this connected or not?"

"It could very well be," he murmured. "Have the officers that are keeping watch over Mr Upton at the hospital, check in on our mystery man as soon as they can." If this was Tegan Callahan's handy work, then they may very well have a living witness to her actions, assuming the victim pulled through of course.

* * *

Having dealt with Tegan, Joey had been planning her next move and thinking of both Aden and Charlie's plights, when the shots had come. Joey's heart had gone cold with fear at the thought Charlie had just been killed, and that fear had set her racing toward that danger. She thought of nothing else except going to Charlie. She ran through the bush and crashed directly into a figure coming from the other direction. They went down in a tangled heap. Joey was the first to recover, the knife she'd taken from Tegan now at the ready.


	48. Chapter 48

"Ok, thanks Fitzy," Teri Garner said into her radio, then she turned to Robertson and Graves. "They found a body not far from us. He's been shot three times."

That explained the gunshots earlier, thought Graves.

"He?" said Robertson with some surprise.

"Yeah, he matches Peter Wilson's description."

Robertson whistled softly at that unexpected news.

* * *

Joey blinked in the growing darkness of their surroundings as she finally recognised who she'd just run into. She lowered the knife.

"Charlie," she said in amazed shock.

"Joey," Charlie said. "Oh god, I thought I might never see you again," she said, going in for a hug. "I love you," the words just tumbled out of Charlie's mouth. They were words Joey never expected to hear, but now knew she couldn't enjoy for long.

"Charlie," she began to say, but Charlie silenced her with a finger to her lips.

"It's ok, I just needed to say it aloud," Charlie told her. "But I know now is not the time to discuss it," she said.

"I know, we have to get out of here."

"Do we?" said Charlie. "Those gunshots were a calling card to the cops, and they have to be on their way by now."

"I was so scared when I heard them, I thought that something had happened to you."

"It nearly did, but I managed to get away from Watson and Pee Wee."

"Watson?" Joey said in confusion. "How the hell did she end up here?"

"I didn't stop to ask," replied Charlie. "But I'm sort of glad she did, because she stopped Pee Wee from raping me. That's what those gunshots were about, she killed him," she told her. Then she noticed the fresh blood on Joey's top. "You pulled the staples," Charlie said.

"I had a little run in with Tegan," Joey said as she tried to process what Charlie had just told her. Pee Wee had tried to rape her? That bastard was lucky to be dead, because she'd have torn him from limb to limb if she'd gotten her hands on him.

"That explains the marks on your face," Charlie said, gently cupping Joey's chin. "You're going to have some nice bruising there," she noted. "Where is she?"

"Taken care of," Joey said.

Charlie frowned. She didn't like the sound of how Joey had phrased that.

"Come on, we still have to get out of here," Joey told her.

"Joey, the police are on their way, it's safer now to stay, especially now that Pee Wee is dead and you've done whatever you have with Tegan."

Joey knew Charlie wanted to know more about Tegan, but Joey didn't want to waste time explaining it.

"Yeah, but Hayley's still out there somewhere and she'll be even more pissed when she finds out what I did to her girl," said Joey. "And let's not forget about Watson. She's probably not far from us right now."

"I honestly don't think we have to worry about Watson from now on," Charlie said.

"Are you sure?"

"She didn't shoot me when I ran from her, and she had every chance to."

"That woman has been relentless, so I find it hard to believe she's just given up," Joey said. "What if she only allowed you to run, in the hope that you'd lead her straight to me?"

That was something that hadn't even occurred to Charlie in her flight, that Watson had allowed her to escape, so she could follow and catch them together, where she could then kill them both, before getting away herself.

"We can't stay here," Joey said.

"We can hide behind some trees or something until we know it's the cops who are nearby."

Joey shook her head. " _I,_ " she said, stressing the I. "Can't stay here, Charlie."

Charlie looked confused. "But I love you."

"And I love you, but let's be honest here. We can never be together," she told her. "If we go back, I go to jail and then it's all over for us," Joey said. "You're a cop Charlie, you can't be with someone who is behind bars."

Charlie knew it was the truth, she'd told herself the same thing, but now faced with the reality of Joey's words, it hit her harder than she ever expected. It felt as if her heart was breaking.

"You were willing to stay and take that risk before," Charlie said in a small voice.

"Because I didn't see any other way out at the time," Joey replied. "Charlie, this may be my last chance to leave this all behind and disappear forever."

"A chance to leave me behind."

Joey reached out and held Charlie's face in her hands, gazing into her eyes. "Don't you think that if there was any way in which we could be together, then I'd stay?" she said. "I love you Charlie, more than I've ever loved anyone, but you're who you are, and I'm who I am and circumstances have made it impossible for me to stay. I have to go."

Charlie nodded, tears streaming down her face without her realising. Joey wiped them away with a gentle finger, then she leant in, pressing her lips softly to Charlie's. "I love you and I'll always miss you."

"I'm coming with you," Charlie suddenly said, surprising both women.

"I can't ask you to give up your whole life for me," Joey said.

"I just meant I'm sticking with you until I know for certain, that you're safely away from here," Charlie hastily added, though she was no longer certain if that was why she'd said those words. Could she really let Joey walk away from her forever, now that she'd told her how she felt? She'd soon find out when the time came. "Please Joey, I need to see you to safety before I can go back."

If she had the time, Joey would argue, but all she did was grab Charlie's hand. "In that case, I'm going this way," she said, with a nod to her right.

"Why that way?"

"It feels the right way."

Charlie wavered. Her head was still telling her to wait for backup while her heart said to follow.

"Charlie, it's ok to stay and wait for your colleagues if that's what you really want," Joey said. "But I have to go right now."

"And I'll be right there with you," Charlie said with much more determination. She just wasn't ready to say goodbye just yet.

Holding up the mobile phone, Joey used the light to guide their way.

"Where did you get that from?" Charlie asked as they moved on.

"Tegan," replied Joey. "I'll ditch it as soon as we're out of the area," she said, since it no doubt had a way for the Braxtons to track Tegan, but right now, they needed the light it offered far more.

* * *

Graves circled the body, then squatted down on her haunches to peer more closely at him.

"One of these shots was to the back of the knee, which means the shooter was behind him," Graves noted. "He was either crawling away when it happened, or it was the first shot and it took him down," she said. "If that is the case, then the shot to the groin seems rather unnecessary, especially as an extra shot increased the chances of us pinpointing this location, which meant that this shot was likely more personal than the others."

"Very personal indeed," said Robertson. "I'd say our dear departed Mr Wilson had a little more in mind than simple murder."

"You think he tried to attack Buckton or Collins?"

"Unless Miss Callahan grew sick of him," Robertson said. "He was known to be quite crass toward women, and by all accounts, it was quite a heated discussion between them at the vet surgery," he said. "He may finally have said one wrong thing too many toward her, and she snapped."

"Well, whatever the reason, if they are turning on each other, it could be to our advantage."

"Yes, but it also makes them even more dangerous and unpredictable," he said. He looked over to Dex. "Walker, I want you to go back to the cars, get some proper lighting to set up here, and start processing the scene," Robertson instructed. "I want to know what happened here."

"Yes, sir," Dex said, wasting no time in carrying out his duties.

"Garner, I want you to stay here and help Walker," he said. "Avery, Fitzgerald, which way from here?"

"It looks like someone went this way," Fitzy said. "There's broken shrubs where someone has crashed through."

"Can you follow the trail?" Graves asked.

"If it was during the day, then yeah, I'd have no trouble at all, but we have very little light left, and from here on, the bush gets denser," Fitzy replied. "Even with the torches, it's going to be hard to follow a trail," she said. "And whoever else is in here with us, they'll know where we are by the light from our torches."

"We have to take the chance," said Robertson. "We have someone with a gun running loose in here, along with Buckton and Collins, one of whom appears to have an injury, if the blood found in the car is any indication."

"We don't even know if they're the ones in here," Fitzy pointed out.

"Wilson came in here for a reason," said Graves. "So it's a fair assumption he was following one or both of them in here," she said. "And someone took him out. It could have been Callahan or either of our women turned the tables on him, but whoever it was, went that way and we need to find them."

"Then just watch your step, because it'll be easy to trip over something in here," Fitzy warned.

Robertson nodded. "Lead the way, Constable."

* * *

Joey and Charlie went as quickly as they could, the light from the mobile phone now their main source of light. More than once, both women had stumbled over a twig, or caught their clothing on a branch, but nothing stopped their progress completely. Charlie knew this was another wrong decision she'd made, that the smart thing to have done, would have been to use that phone to call her colleagues, and have them meet up with them, yet her only movement was to be in tandem with Joey. Her heart truly was making the rules right now. She wasn't Charlie the cop, who should be taking Joey into custody, instead, she was the woman in love, doing what she could to keep Joey safe.

"Can you hear that?" Joey said, not breaking stride.

"Sounds like running water."

"There must be a river or something."

A couple of minutes later, they burst through the bushes, onto a dirt track. The moonlight offered more light outside of the dense bush, giving a decent view of what lay before them.

"There's a bridge," Joey said, racing toward it.

Charlie followed. She knew the time was coming where she'd have to say goodbye forever to Joey.

Joey stopped at the end of the bridge. There was no sign of any cars or people. This was her chance. She walked to the half way mark of the bridge, then turned to face Charlie, knowing this was goodbye, and that this was going to be the hardest thing she'd ever done. How did one say goodbye to the love of their life?

"I guess this is goodbye," Charlie said rather lamely.

"Yeah," Joey murmured. They stood staring at each, both now at a loss for words. Half a minute went by before Joey found her next words. Before she could say them, the phone went. She automatically looked at it, and frowned at what she saw.

" _YOU'RE DEAD!_ " the message read. They heard the gunshot, moments before Joey was falling backwards, her hand on her chest where blood was now seeping profusely through her fingers. Charlie reached out for her, but Joey's other hand slipped through hers. She tumbled over the railing, falling from the bridge, into the darkened depths of the river.

"NO!" shrieked Charlie, leaning over the rail. Her eyes searched frantically. The moonlight shone in reflection upon the water's surface, but Joey was nowhere to be seen. There were only ripples in the water at where she'd fallen. Joey was gone.


	49. Chapter 49

Charlie continued to stare at the water, desperate for any sign of the woman she loved. There was none. She didn't care that she was standing in the same spot Joey had been, thereby making herself a target as well. All she cared about was Joey. She was in there somewhere, in desperate need of her help. Charlie lifted herself up on the rail, preparing to jump in after her when a voice cried out.

"Charlie!"

Charlie paused, looked around and she could see Robertson, along with Graves and four uniforms charging toward her.

"What the hell are you doing?" Robertson demanded to know.

"Joey's just been shot and she fell into the water."

"Well get down before they take a shot at you next."

"They would have taken it by now," Charlie said, still not really caring at that moment if she was shot at or not.

"Even so, keep low so as not to make it easier for the shooter if they happen to change their mind."

"But we need to get to Joey," she persisted. "She went over the railing, and I can't see her."

Robertson leant over and shone his torch across the surface of the water, while Graves called in for reinforcements and for search and rescue personnel.

"We have to go after her," Charlie said.

"Jumping in there with minimal lighting will only put more lives in danger," Robertson said.

"If we don't, Joey will drown," Charlie pointed out. "How is she meant to swim to shore with one arm?"

"Charlie, take a moment and listen to the surroundings."

In spite of her desperation, Charlie did just that. She closed her eyes and just listened. Her heart dropped at what she heard, or more, what she didn't hear.

"There's no noise coming from in the water," she murmured, disheartened.

"There's no noise or sign of movement in that water beyond the natural current," he said. "I think we both know that means Joey went under and hasn't come back up."

"Then it's even more important that we get in there."

"And how will you find her in the dark?"

"We can't do nothing!"

"Charlie, it may already be too late," said Robertson. "And if as you said she's been shot, she may have been dead before she even hit the water."

"No, she has to be alive."

"Did you see or hear anything immediately after she landed in the water, besides the initial splash?"

Charlie shook her head, knowing what he was leading up to.

"If she was conscious when she went in, then there'd have been bubbles, splashing, something to indicate she was struggling toward the surface, even with one arm," he said. "Charlie, the lack of activity in the water really doesn't look good for her chances of survival."

"So we just stand here and do nothing?"

"We can search the riverbanks while we wait for search and rescue to arrive," replied Robertson, and he indicated to the two uniformed officers who had met up with them at the last crime scene, just before Fitzy had lead them on the trail. The men rushed off in opposite directions to search both sides of the riverbanks. "But I won't allow you or anyone else to put their lives in danger by jumping in there without proper safety precautions."

This was a conversation Charlie had had before. Of people in the water and her watching from the sidelines, doing nothing because it was too dangerous. Only then, Joey had been the one talking sense, telling her that those men had been beyond their help, and so she'd reluctantly allowed Joey to drive away, leaving those men to drown. Joey had been right at the time, it would have been potential suicide on their part had they made any attempt to jump in after them, just as Robertson was right about this. The moonlight and a couple of torches would offer little assistance, meaning it was too dangerous to jump into a river neither of them were familiar with, and if Joey were here, she'd be telling her the same thing. Yet Charlie also knew Joey wouldn't have hesitated if it had been her in the water, not Joey. Charlie leant over the railing again, knowing it was now too late, because if she made any attempt to jump into the water, Robertson would stop her, even handcuff her if necessary. Charlie felt numb. Joey had literally slipped from her grasp and was now likely gone forever, all because she hadn't reacted quickly enough.

"Charlie, did you see where the shot come from?" Robertson asked, the question intruding on Charlie's numbness.

In reply, Charlie pointed. "I didn't see anything, but that's where the sound came from."

"The shooter had to have been near the edge of the bushes when they took the shot, then hightailed it out of here just before our arrival," he said as he looked to where Charlie had pointed.

"It definitely had to have been a rifle then," said Graves. "No way could you make that shot with a handgun."

"Avery, I want you to find out exactly where the shot came from, and follow any trail the shooter may have left behind," Robertson said to him.

"Yes sir."

"And be careful, we don't yet know which of our crooks it was."

"It could have been Watson," Charlie suggested. Maybe Joey had been right about why Watson had let her walk away, doing so only so she could follow her to Joey and then take them out. Except she'd only taken Joey out. It was only then that it hit her. Why was she still alive? She'd been standing here, just as Joey had been, a target under the same moonlight as Joey, and there had certainly been time enough before Robertson's arrival, to have taken another shot, yet here she was, unharmed, except for a broken heart. Joey may have been the main target, but the Braxtons had no way of knowing just how much Joey may have confided in her, and so killing her as well was a matter of great importance. So why then had that second shot not come?

"Watson, as in Georgina Watson?" asked Graves for clarification.

Charlie nodded. "I didn't see a rifle on her when she shot Pee Wee, but she may have had it stashed nearby."

"Whoa, wait a minute," said Robertson. "Are you saying that it was Watson who killed Wilson?" They'd suspected someone like Tegan Callahan may have turned on him, if neither Charlie nor Joey had done the deed, but this was the most unexpected turn of events.

"Pee Wee was planning to rape me when Watson came upon us," Charlie told them. "At first I thought she was going to let him go right ahead and do it, but then she shot him, three times."

"Then she let you go."

"Yeah, but maybe it was just so I could lead her to Joey."

"I'd have thought she'd have taken the opportunity to kill you both," he said.

"I was just thinking the same."

"Curious," Robertson murmured, as he mulled over this latest piece of news. "We'd not had a single sighting of Watson, even after her face was plastered all over the media, so we were starting to suspect she'd gone to ground," he said. "Obviously we were wrong. You say she didn't have a rifle on her when you encountered her?"

"That's right, but as I said, she may have had it stashed nearby."

"Or it was one of our other crooks. Both Mr Wilson and Upton are accounted for, but our two crazy women are still on the loose, and we know they had a rifle with them at the vets," he said.

"There could also be others out here that we don't yet know about," Graves pointed out.

"Well, Tegan Callahan is still in there somewhere," Charlie said, indicating the bush they'd all left behind. "Joey said she'd taken care of her, so I don't think it could have been her with the rifle."

"How exactly did she take care of her?" asked Graves.

"Joey didn't go into details," said Charlie. "And it's not like we had the time for a long discussion."

"I'll backtrack and see if I can find her," Fitzy said.

"Very good," replied Robertson.

Charlie's eyes caught something on the ground. It was the phone that had fallen from Joey's hand. There was blood on it. It struck Charlie in the heart like a knife as she bent to pick it up.

"Wait, don't touch it," Graves said. "Not without gloves."

"I know whose it is," Charlie said, though she made no further attempt to pick it up. "It's Tegan's. Joey took it from her so we could use the light app to see in the bush."

With her gloves now on, Graves picked up the device.

"There's a message still displayed on the screen," Graves noted.

"It went just before the shot came," Charlie said. "Joey looked at it, but I never had the chance to see it."

"It says, _YOU'RE DEAD!_ " Graves told them. "Nice of whomever it was to send Joey a warning," she murmured.

"Is there a number listed on the message?" asked Robertson.

"A name," replied Graves. "Hails."

"Hayley O'Connor," said Robertson. "I guess now we have confirmation on the identity of our shooter."

"But how did Hayley know it was Joey who had Tegan's phone to send her that text?" Charlie asked.

"A tracking app," suggested Robertson. "She may have tried to catch up with her girlfriend, followed the tracking and when it led to you, realised one of you must have had the phone," he surmised. "Then when Joey glanced at the phone after she sent the text message, O'Connor knew it was her."

A tracking app made sense, thought Charlie, especially since Joey had mentioned her intention to dispose of the phone as soon as possible. Her heart pinched painfully. Would Joey still be alive now if she'd never picked up that phone? They'd likely be still lost in the bush without the light it had provided, but Joey might still be alive. She still could be alive, she tried to tell herself. Until they found a body, she had to believe Joey still lived.

Once again though, Charlie was left questioning why she hadn't been shot as well. If Hayley knew they had Tegan's phone, surely she knew that meant something had happened to her girlfriend, and so would be even more pissed off. Charlie shook her head. She wasn't thinking clearly at all. In all honesty, it was hard to think of anything beyond Joey's fate.

"According to the log, there was a call just before those first three gunshots," Graves said as she scrolled through the list.

"To or from that phone?"

"From," said Graves. "It wasn't to O'Connor and the number called doesn't show up, so we'll have to check with the phone service provider to see if we can get more detail."

"Check all of the calls and texts made to and from that phone," said Robertson. "And do the same with Uptons and Wilson's phone records. With any luck, we can piece together their movements and connect them to incidents still under investigation."

"If we can do that, then along with the evidence in that bag we picked up, the Braxtons are going to be in for a world of pain," Graves said.

"Bag?" said Charlie. "You found the bag of evidence?"

"You know about the bag?" Robertson asked. "How?"

Charlie didn't answer straight away, as it suddenly dawned on her how her answers from here on, could end her career. Just how much did she reveal about what went down with Joey and her, because the truth about who Joey was, was about to become public knowledge, and if their affair came out, it could be curtains for her career. A cop romantically involved with a criminal linked to the Braxtons would face fierce scrutiny and fair enough, given the corruption of other officers. She wasn't corrupt, but it'd still be a terrible look for her, and potentially, seriously damaging to the integrity of the investigation. Staying quiet about their affair would protect her, and the investigation, but could she carry on as if their being a couple was nothing more than a role playing exercise to hide from their pursuers? Was that fair to Joey? Erase what they had shared just to save her career? Could she even pull it off? It would be so easy to betray herself with a slip here or there that revealed the depths of her feelings for Joey. Charlie's thoughts were so conflicted right now, and Robertson was still waiting for her to answer his question.


	50. Chapter 50

"Charlie, are you ok?" Graves asked in concern when the woman had remained silent for so long.

"I'm sorry, so much has happened lately, that I'm just having trouble focussing right now," Charlie said.

"Understandable," said Graves.

Charlie had reached a decision. Joey wouldn't want her to ruin her career for her, so she'd speak the truth, with one exception. As far as anyone else was concerned, her and Joey had posed as a couple for cover only. It went against everything she believed in to lie by omission, and if it still came out later, it could hurt the investigation, along with her career, but she saw no reason to be up front about this. The only crimes she'd been aware of Joey committing when they'd first made love, had been during the course of their flight, and they'd been all about keeping them both alive. She hadn't known who Joey really had been when they'd hooked up and no one else needed to know the doubts she'd had about Joey leading up to that point. In the overall scheme of things, their affair hadn't really change anything, since that evidence bag existed before they'd even met, and so all that could be achieved by being honest, was to provide ammunition to the Braxton lawyers to try to discredit it all. She wouldn't allow that. She'd done nothing wrong except get close to the woman who had been at her side during the most intense, dangerous and stressful period of her life. Charlie had a feeling she'd have to remind herself of that on more than one occasion, because it did go against her nature, but in her heart, she knew that this was what Joey would want, and that she'd understand her decision, because she'd done so much to protect Charlie already. And it wasn't really erasing what they'd shared, because her love for Joey would remain in her heart. Oh god, she was carrying on like she knew Joey was really dead.

"The bag, Charlie," Robertson prodded her again. "What do you know about it?"

Charlie took a quiet breath, then steeled herself for what she had to say.

"I know where it came from," she replied. "It came from Joey."

"Joey Collins had possession of this bag?"

"She was the one who gathered all the evidence inside. It was meant to be her way of leveraging the Braxtons into letting her walk away from the business, but she decided to give it to me instead, so that I could bring them down."

"So Joey Collins was one of them," murmured Graves. "The holes in her background make much more sense now," she said. "I'd figured there had to be more to her, and if this evidence is anything to go by, she was a trusted member of the Braxton's criminal activities."

"I'm not so sure she was that trusted, since the night this all started, was actually meant as a test of her loyalty."

"Harvey Ryan's murder?" said Robertson.

Charlie nodded.

"She murdered Ryan?" he asked.

"Joey denied it and I believe her," she said, realising she actually did. "But she was there."

"And she told you what happened?"

"Yes, she did," said Charlie, and she went on to explain in a slightly detached voice, everything Joey had said of her decision to gather that evidence in preparation of leaving the lifestyle behind, to how the Braxtons had become suspicious of her, then onto how Joey had failed the loyalty test they'd set, leading to this deadly chase, before finishing with Joey's reasons for handing the bag over to her. Or at least, some of the reasons. Once Charlie was done, both Robertson and Graves were looking at her with rapt attention.

"You'll have to make an official statement to all of that once we get to the Station, along with anything else Joey Collins told you during your time together," Robertson told her. He then glanced over the rail of the bridge again. A potential goldmine of information was in there somewhere, now perhaps lost to them. "I don't mean to be insensitive at this time, since we don't yet know the fate of Miss Collins, but if she is indeed deceased, then you're going to have to testify on her behalf as to what really happened to Harvey Ryan that night," Robertson said to her. "Heath Braxton's lawyers will no doubt try to blame her for the murder, and have this testimony thrown out as hearsay, along with using her previous statement that Penn Graham was the killer to further discredit her," he explained. "But her death, as distasteful as it is to be talking like this at this time, does add more weight to you speaking her words for her, and weakens their argument for hearsay, since she herself can no longer speak up," he said. "Are you going to be up for that?" asked Robertson. "Can you speak for her in court?"

"Absolutely," Charlie said without any hesitation. She now had extra incentive to bringing down the Braxtons. Revenge. It was an odd feeling, yet she also felt a strength from it. Maybe she would get through this after all. Then her heart pinched in a painful reminder. She looked across both sides of the river to where the lights from the torches were searching for any sign of Joey. Please find her alive, she silently begged.

"I have a question," said Graves. "If Joey handed you the bag, then how did it end up in Wilson's car?"

"I'd dropped it after they tried to run me over earlier this evening," replied Charlie. "It was in amongst the rubbish, but I guess one of them must have seen me drop it and picked it up."

Graves chuckled suddenly, and Robertson glanced at her with a raised brow.

"They picked up the evidence that is going to lead to their own demise," Graves said with a big grin. "I can't wait to see the look on Upton's face when we tell him we now have it. He and the rest, they're not going to know what hit them."

"All the cards do appear to be falling into place for us to finally be able to smash those arrogant bastards," Robertson said.

"And we also have our mystery man," said Graves.

"We don't yet know if he has anything to offer to our investigation or not," he said.

"What mystery man?" asked Charlie.

"A badly injured man was found barely alive in the bushes just outside of town," replied Robertson. "He has no identity as of yet, but his injuries show quite a level of torture, and are consistent with what we know of Miss Callahan's signature."

"We just can't be absolutely certain he is connected until after he wakes up, and tells us what happened," added Graves.

"He is connected," Charlie said, filling them in on what they'd overheard Tegan and Hayley arguing about at the vet's surgery.

"Did Joey know who they were talking about?" Graves asked afterward.

Charlie shook her head. "I get the impression he was linked to Joey from what they'd said, but she had no idea who they were talking about."

"Now I'm even more curious to know who this man is," said Robertson. Next, he looked Charlie over from head to toe and the intensity of his gaze made Charlie uncomfortable.

"What?" she couldn't stop from asking.

"I can't see any injury on you, so I can only assume that it was Miss Collins who left the blood behind in the car, and in the vet's surgery."

"She came to my aid earlier, when Brodie and Pee Wee nearly ran me over, then tried to kill me again," she explained. "They fired at the car as we were getting away and one of the bullets hit her."

"Bullets do seem to be attracted to her," he said, and smiled wryly at her outraged look. "Twice she's been shot is all I meant."

"We've both been through a lot these past days," she said somewhat defensively. "I may not have known who Joey was when this all started, but I know who she was when she went over that bridge," Charlie said. "She's the woman who risked her life to save me, and on more than one occasion."

"Do you feel that you now owe her something in return?" Robertson asked.

"Maybe I do," she said. "I wouldn't be standing here now in front of you if not for her, so it's hard not to feel as if I owe her for that."

"I quite understand," he said. "Just don't let it cloud your judgement," Robertson warned her. "The lawyers will be looking for any weakness to attack, and with Joey Collins' involvement with the Braxtons soon to be headline news, we know that facts don't always matter to the media or defence lawyers when there is a juicy angle to be had at," he said. "Two women, both lesbians, all alone during that amount of time."

"Nothing like that happened," Charlie said, surprised by the confidence in her lie, yet now a little more wary as to why he was bringing that angle up at this stage. "We worked together to stay alive, that's all."

"Pippa Fletcher-Roberts was under the impression you were a couple," Graves told her, and now it made sense to Charlie. "A very loving couple."

"Everyone was looking for two women, not a couple, so we figured it would be safer to hide out as a couple, is all," Charlie replied, which was actually the truth this time.

"A very convincing act by all accounts," said Graves.

"When people are trying to kill you and you're stuck in a car together for days on end, it's hard not to form a bond," explained Charlie. "Not a sexual one, just a strong bond of trust and belief in each other, which others must have mistook for love, especially as we were posing as a couple." Another lie. Wow, this lying was coming more easily than she'd expected. Then again, she had been on the run with a master liar, so it must have rubbed off on her.

"So there was no sexual or romantic intimacy in your relationship with Joey Collins?" Robertson flat out asked her.

"None what so ever," Charlie said, staring him right in the eye as she answered. He seemed satisfied by her response, as he gave a slight nod to her.

"Very well," he said. "We'll talk more of your adventures at a more appropriate time, but for now, perhaps you'd prefer to head back to the cars once the others start to arrive."

Charlie shook her head. "No, I want to be here for the search," she said. "I owe Joey that much at least."

He nodded in acknowledgement, then went to meet up with one of the officers on the riverbank. Graves remained behind for a moment longer. Charlie never changed her expression as Graves gave her another once over. She suspected the younger Detective wasn't entirely satisfied with her answers, but Robertson appeared to be, so all she needed to do was to hold her nerve. Graves gave a little humph, before heading to the opposite riverbank to Robertson.

Charlie let out a huge sigh of relief the moment she was alone. Between the lying and her concern for Joey, this was going to be a long, hard night.


	51. Chapter 51

Charlie paced along the bridge. She felt useless, but Robertson had ordered her to stay put if she wasn't going to go to the station, and the other officers had made it known that they'd hold her to his orders if she moved from the bridge. Robertson and Graves were busy alternating between phone calls and assigning duties to the steady stream of police and rescue service personnel that continued to arrive, but with every passing second, Charlie felt her hopes for Joey being found alive slipping. It hurt more than anything to believe she'd lost Joey forever. Joey had always intended to walk away, because she really had had no other choice besides jail, but at least then, Charlie could have taken comfort in Joey being alive and living her life free from the one she'd left behind. It hurt even more that she had to hide these feelings from everyone else. Showing just a certain level of concern wouldn't raise suspicions that there had perhaps been more between her and Joey, than just two women fighting for their lives together and forming a bond. She couldn't break down though, not in public. She had to hold it all together, which was one of the hardest things she'd ever done, especially when she was also grappling with the disappointment at her failure to act quicker to try to save Joey. Even telling herself she'd have taken too big of a risk by diving into the darkened water did little to ease her guilt.

She shook her head. She couldn't dwell on that, not now, not with so much to lose. If she was to survive what was to come, it would require more than just holding to a lie. She needed to find her old self. Her old self wasn't paralysed by indecision, didn't second guess and question everything, because that Charlie just acted on instinct. That person had gone missing during this past fortnight, largely because of the circumstances, but also because Joey had challenged the way Charlie had tended to see the world in black and white, as bad and good. Joey had forced her to think, sometimes far too much, and to her own detriment, but now she needed to get her act together, both for herself and for Joey, whether she was alive or dead. She had to do this, or it would all have been for nothing.

No, not nothing. She'd finally found love. It may now be lost to her forever, but she intended to hold onto those feelings. She just couldn't show them in public.

"Hold it together, Charlie," she told herself. Focus on finding Joey and bringing an end to the tyranny and pain the Braxtons have caused to so many. As she was geeing herself up, she noticed one of the uniformed officers returning. Avery, if she remembered correctly.

"I just want to see if he found anything," Charlie explained to the nearest Constable in case she tried to stop Charlie from walking off the bridge. The woman saw who she was talking about and nodded.

"I found this where the shooter must have been standing," Avery was telling Robertson and Graves when Charlie joined them. He held up a plastic evidence bag containing a spent bullet. "I marked the area off, then tried to follow the shooter's path, but it's far too dense and dark in there now, that I couldn't get far," he said. "We're going to need more lighting if we're going to find anything further tonight."

"See to it," Robertson told him.

"I was also thinking, that I know a couple of guys who have hunting dogs. They're pretty good at picking up scents and they may be able to track where our shooter went," Avery suggested. "It'd only take them 10 or so minutes to get here."

"Make that call right now," said Robertson. "Then get onto those lights you need."

"Will do," Avery said, digging his phone out to arrange things.

Robertson noticed Charlie listening in from behind them. "Are you sure you don't want to go to the Station?"

Charlie shook her head. "I can't, not yet," she said.

"Well, if you change your mind, one the Constables will guide you back to the cars," he said, then walked away.

"There's really not a lot you can do here," Graves told her.

Charlie felt as if the woman was waiting for her to reveal something, either in her words or on her face.

"There's not a lot for me to do at the Station either, since nearly everyone is either here or out there looking for Tegan and Hayley," Charlie said. "Besides, I'd prefer to be here during the search."

"Because you owe, Joey," said Graves and Charlie could see her studying her face again. Damn, she was still suspicious, and Charlie had a feeling there was little she could do to convince her otherwise, so she needed to be careful around this woman.

"Wouldn't you feel the same way about someone who had saved your life a couple of times?" Charlie said.

"Probably," she murmured in reply, and again Charlie knew she was after more.

"Graves, can I ask you about Nick Parish," Charlie said, diverting her attention.

"Sure, what about him?"

"There's nothing to suggest he was involved in the attempt on our lives, is there?" she asked. "I mean, after Watson and Rosetta, I'd really like to know if he was involved or not."

"There's nothing at all to suggest he's corrupt," replied Graves. "Nick wasn't responsible for Watson being assigned as your partner, that came from above and we already have a written statement from that person as to the whys and hows of his actions," she explained. "As for Rosetta, well, that was a lack of judgement on Nick's part, more than anything. Instead of sending a family member, who turned out to be corrupt, which he was completely unaware of, Nick should have contacted either Robertson or myself, rather than deal with it on his own. I understand his reasoning behind it, but it was a mistake, one that nearly proved fatal to you, and ultimately proved fatal to Rosetta," she told her. "That may still come back on Nick, but overall, he's in the clear as far as corruption allegations are concerned."

"That's a relief," said Charlie, and it was. It had felt such a betrayal and had hurt to believe the worst of Nick.

"He really was doing his best to look out for you," Graves told her. "I just wish he'd trusted in Robertson and myself far earlier than he did."

"Well, speaking from personal experience, when two cops involved in this turned out to be corrupt, trust became something very hard to come by, so I guess I can see where Nick was coming from as well," said Charlie. "I mean, who do you trust in a situation like that?"

"You trusted Joey," Graves pointed out.

"Only because we were both in the same boat of trying to stay alive," Charlie said. "If we couldn't trust each other, I doubt we would have made it this far." It wasn't necessarily a lie, more an exaggeration about how much she'd actually trusted Joey, since she'd never entirely trusted her, to her regret. Ok, so Joey wasn't the sweet innocent she'd thought she was, but Joey had never claimed to be that, and in spite of who her employers had turned out to be, Joey had had her back throughout this.

"You also trusted us in the end," said Graves. "You gave that message to Garner, and it could easily have backfired."

"I was out of options," said Charlie. "I couldn't run forever, I couldn't hide forever, and so I eventually had to take the risk and place my trust in the Police Force."

"Did Joey feel the same way?"

There she was, digging again.

"She was the one who suggested I call for police reinforcements at the vet's surgery," Charlie said, choosing the safer option of honesty this time, with the small omission of Joey changing her mind once they were free from there. "Unfortunately, they'd cut the phone lines and we had no mobile, and therefore, no way to make that call."

"So Joey would have turned herself in?"

Charlie held Graves' gaze. "That's something only Joey knew," she lied.

"A shame we may never know," said Graves.

"Yes, it would be a shame if Joey is dead," Charlie said flatly.

"I'm sorry, I'm starting to sound like my boss," she said with a smile that Charlie didn't find comforting. This young Detective was like a dog with a bone and it was going to be tough to shake her loose.

"It's ok, you're only doing your job," Charlie said, hoping that her returning smile appeared a little more genuine.

"But this is not the time to be grilling you about Joey Collins," said Graves.

"Det. Graves!" Robertson called out, thankfully interrupting what had started to feel like an interrogation. Robertson was pointing to another approaching officer, this one not alone.

"Tegan," muttered Charlie. She was filled with a sudden urge toward violence, yet also a little relief at seeing that Joey taking care of Tegan hadn't involved a permanently fatal solution as she'd first feared. Joey had said she wasn't a murderer, yet she'd doubted her, again.

"I stumbled upon this rather foul mouthed, uncooperative little beastie trussed up like a Christmas turkey with her own jacket," Fitzy said with a grin.

Tegan was glaring menacingly at all of them, at least that was her intent, except it fell flat. Charlie felt she looked more like one of those bullies who aren't so tough when the tables are turned.

"I also found these," Fitzy said.

"Those aren't mine," Tegan snarled as Fitzy handed the bottles to Robertson.

"Careful, that'll take hairs off your chest," Fitzy joked when he opened one of the bottles.

"What is it?" he asked.

"A distraction," Charlie answered. "Tegan's right, they aren't hers, they were Joey's and mine. We made them in case we needed to create a distraction in order to get away from the vets. As it was, Tegan and her girlfriend gave us the distraction we needed."

Tegan threw her a withering glare. Charlie responded by sticking out her tongue at her. It was childish, yet also surprisingly satisfying to see how such a small action infuriated the crazy bitch.

Robertson wasted no time on pleasantries. "Who was the man we found abandoned in the bushes outside of town?" he asked. "He bears all the hallmarks of your talents."

"I dunno what you're on about," Tegan replied with the petulance of a child.

"He's alive," he said and they all enjoyed the momentary flash of panic in Tegan's eyes at that news, before it disappeared.

"So what, he's nothing to do with me."

"You'd do well to cooperate, because your mates are going to be too busy dealing with their own problems to worry about you."

"Bullshit," she sneered. "You bunch of losers are going to look like complete dickheads when Brax makes fools of you."

Robertson just smiled at her in response. "We know where the bodies are buried," he confidently told her. "We already have local officers in those areas heading to the scenes," he said. "We have names, we have dates, we have times, we have your boss' nuts firmly grasped in our hands and we'll be squeezing them so hard, he won't give two fucks about anyone else except for those two incredibly shrinking nuts." Robertson stepped right into her face. "He's going down and never getting back up, and you're only hope of ever holding your daughter again, is to cooperate."

"You bastard, you leave her out of this," she screamed, trying to lunge at him, but failing badly with her hands cuffed behind her back.

"Get used to having bars between you and your daughter," he said. "Take her to the Station and charge her," Robertson said to Fitzy.

"I want my fucking phone call," Tegan demanded.

"See to her request at the Station," he said to Fitzy. "Try not to waste your call by warning Braxton, because you're going to need a good lawyer more," Robertson told Tegan. "Now get her out of my sight."

"She won't help," Charlie said.

"Probably not, but it will give her something to think about."

"How is the search going?"

"They're doing everything they can to find Joey, but you need to prepare for the worst."

Even though she'd been expected it, it was a huge kick in the guts to Charlie, and she struggled not to show too much emotion while her heart was breaking.


	52. Chapter 52

Hours later, there was still no sign of Joey. Search and rescue still had boats going up and down the river, with divers in the water. Visibility was low, and with the river leading out into the sea, some were already speculating that Joey's body had been dragged out to the sea with the current. Charlie didn't want to believe that, but with each passing second that Joey remained missing, it was becoming harder to hold out hope for her being found alive.

"Oh god," Charlie murmured under her breath. She was feeling a mix of numbness and rawness, along with exhaustion. This had been the longest day, then night in her entire life, and it showed no sign of ever ending, and having to keep up her ruse while worrying over Joey's fate, just added to the weight on her shoulders. Every now and then, Charlie had felt eyes on her and whenever she'd looked around, she'd find Graves staring at her. Sometimes it felt as if those eyes saw right through her, and it quite unnerved Charlie at times. Graves hadn't said anything more to her since their last chat, but she didn't need to. The damn woman definitely suspected something, and she didn't care if Charlie knew it or not. Maybe leaving the scene wasn't such a bad idea after all. At least it would free her from Graves' watchful gaze for a time.

"No," Charlie said. She couldn't leave, not while the search for Joey continued. She just had to ignore Graves and focus elsewhere. Like on that bitch, Hayley. Avery's dog mates had turned up. They'd quickly found a scent from the shooter's last known position and were tracking it. With any luck, Hayley was still nearby, waiting for Tegan, and completely unaware of her capture. That bitch deserved to pay for what she'd done. Charlie felt her hands tightening into fists at what she'd like to do to that woman if she ever got her hands on her.

"Charlie."

"Fuck," Charlie yelped, and spun around to find a slightly amused Graves watching her.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you like that."

Somehow I think you did, Charlie said in her own thoughts.

"I just wanted to update you on the latest development," Graves said. "The dogs followed the scent through the bush and came out onto a dirt track. O'Connor must have had her car parked there, because they lost the scent."

"So they've lost her," Charlie muttered unhappily.

"The dogs did, but Avery called in a squad car and after following the track a few kilometres, they found O'Connor's car. Looks like her tyre blew out, and she'd run off the road and crashed into a tree," Graves informed her.

"And her?"

"Found behind the wheel," she replied. "She's unconscious, but the paramedics at the scene said there didn't appear to be anything too serious with her injuries."

"Good," Charlie said and Graves shivered at the coldness in that single word.

"I'll be speaking to her the moment the doctors give the all clear, until then, a guard will be posted on her door at all times," Graves told. "We don't want a repeat of Rosetta, so each guard will have a photo of the hospital staff allowed into the room. If they're not on the list, they're not getting in," she said. "Same goes for our mystery man, and our other guests. No one will be allowed to see any of them without the proper authorisation."

"Any word yet on who our mystery man is?"

"His face and prints are being run through the system, but so far, there's been no match with any missing person or criminal history."

Charlie nodded, unsurprised by that. Joey's prints hadn't been in the system either, even though they now knew she had been at multiple crime scenes, and if this guy was connected to her, then his fingerprints were probably a dead end.

"What about Watson?" asked Charlie.

"She obviously hadn't been too concerned about leaving a trail behind, because the officers had little trouble picking up her trail, but as with O'Connor, Watson must have had a car nearby."

"Then she's long gone by now."

"Unfortunately, Station personnel have been stretched thin with everything going on here, and at the other scenes, so it's possible Watson could have slipped through via a back road, since we just can't cover every possible exit." Graves was studying Charlie's face yet again as she said that. "Do you feel you owe her something for saving you from being raped?"

"What, like I owe Joey?" she said. "Not even close. Joey never tried to kill me, Watson did, even after she killed Pee Wee, she wanted me dead."

"Then why do you think she let you go?" asked Graves. "Because it obviously wasn't to follow you to Joey, since her escape broke off into a different direction to where you and Joey had gone."

"Honestly, I don't really know," replied Charlie. "It made sense at the time that it was so I'd lead her to Joey," she said, leaving out the part where that had been Joey's suggestion. "Perhaps though, it was just out of self preservation. I did point out that another shot would help you guys pin point where we were, and that she'd have more chance of getting away if she'd left right then."

"Well, whatever her reasons, she's now on the run," murmured Graves. "Again."

"She will be captured eventually, won't she?" said Charlie. "I mean, you can't turn around anywhere without seeing her face on the news or in the papers, and there are only so many places she can hide."

"She's survived this long by hiding in plain sight and soon enough, the press and public will move onto something more interesting than a missing cop, like the Braxtons. They're like the rock stars of the criminal underworld and they demand attention like few others," she explained. "Of course, we won't stop looking for Watson, but without the full attention of the public or media interest, she'll have much more freedom to move around."

"I just hate the thought that Watson will escape justice."

"It's a sad fact that we don't always get all the bad guys, no matter how hard we try to," Graves said. "But she may still be captured."

"I hope so," Charlie murmured. Watson was the one who had kicked off this nightmare in that Motel room, and though she did hold some gratitude for her stopping Pee Wee from raping her, Charlie wanted Watson caught, because as long as she was out there, it would feel like a loose end, and she wanted them all to pay.

* * *

The figure peered from behind the tree, patiently waiting for the chance to speak to the dark haired woman who had never been far from her thoughts. She had to be careful though. No one could see her here. This was as risky as fuck, especially with the sun now coming up, but she'd found it impossible to just disappear without first seeing her again.

* * *

The warmth of the rising sun sent a chill through Charlie's heart. A whole night had past, and Joey was still missing. Charlie looked around her. There was still a bustle of people coming and going, so no one had given up yet, but her heavy heart knew it was only a matter of time before the search was called off. She didn't want it to happen, but without some sign of Joey, then it was inevitable. The hurt cut through the numbness, and she struggled to maintain her composure. She was so tired, she feared she'd make a mistake, but she hadn't been able to leave this place. Robertson had though. He'd headed back to the city to prepare the search warrants for all Braxton premises, while Graves had stayed behind to oversee the details here. Personally, Charlie would have preferred if Graves had been the one in the city, not here, because that woman was continually forcing her to be on her toes around her. Just the slightest slip up and Graves would be all over her. At this rate, Charlie was going to be an emotional wreck by the time this was all over, if she wasn't already. However, she at least had had some reprieve from Graves. The hospital had called to say both their mystery man and Hayley were now awake, and so the young Detective had headed off to speak to them. It truly had been such a relief to be free of those prying eyes, yet it had been short lived, because she could see Graves making her way back to her right now.

"I wish someone had warned me that the woman who found our mystery man, had been a damn local reporter," Graves muttered by way of greeting. "The woman is like a bad rash you can't get rid of."

In spite of her heavy heart, Charlie found herself smiling, because she could certainly relate to Graves where journos were concerned.

"Here," Graves said, handing her a coffee.

"Thanks," Charlie said, breathing in the aromas, before taking a welcoming sip. "What did our guests have to say for themselves?"

"O'Connor's response was, I didn't do it, while our mystery man's was, who am I?," she replied.

"Sorry?" Charlie said with some confusion.

"Our mystery man is even a mystery to himself," she said. "He can't remember who he is."

"You're kidding me," said Charlie. "Could he be faking it?"

Graves shook her head. "Doctors said between the psychological and physical traumas he's sustained, then it's not unusual to suffer from memory loss, especially when he has a fractured skull," she explained. "Doctors believe he was tossed around in that boot for some time, and he must have smashed his head against something in there."

"Tegan or Hayley couldn't have caused it?"

"It's not the same type of injury you'd receive from someone striking you with an object."

"So he really doesn't remember anything?"

"Not a thing," she replied. "It's possible his memory will come back, but for the time being, he's a mystery to all," Graves told her. "Are you sure he is connected to Joey Collins?"

Charlie shrugged as she sipped her coffee. "I guess I really can't be certain. It was more how they were arguing, than anything, that lead us to believe he was."

"What exactly did they say again?"

"Hayley accused Tegan of letting him go, because she hadn't wanted to upset her lover if she found out about him."

"Her lover?"

"She and Joey had had a one night stand."

"I can see now why O'Connor wanted her dead so badly," murmured Graves. "And Joey claimed not to know who they were talking about?"

"That's right," said Charlie. "And I don't think she was lying."

"Ok, so if they were carting him around in their boot and torturing him, then chances are, they were after information that they believed he could provide, otherwise he'd have been dead long before he was dumped," Graves surmised. "What information? Did he know where Joey was?"

"It's hard to see how, since we never really set a course for any specific destination until we were well into our journey," Charlie told her.

"Could Joey have called him without you knowing?"

"I guess," she replied, knowing Joey had in fact contacted someone from her past, but if he was the man in the boot, then surely Joey would have reacted more to what Tegan and Hayley had said, yet Joey had seemed genuinely in the dark about him. "I mean, we weren't joined at the hip 24-7, so Joey could have contacted him without my knowledge, but if she did, she never said anything when Tegan and Hayley were arguing about him."

"Since neither Joey nor he can help us to identify him, then perhaps one of our jailbirds can," Graves said somewhat doubtfully.

"Speaking of the jailbirds, did Hayley really say she didn't do it?"

"I have a feeling she wanted to say a whole lot more, but after she swore she never shot Joey, she clammed up," replied Graves. "She had to be lying though. A rifle was found in her car, along with shells that match the one found where the shot had come from, and if that spent shell comes back with a match to that rifle, we'll have her."

"Good," said Charlie.

"As for our mystery man, if our jailbirds refuse to help and nothing more comes from the fingerprints, then we're probably going to have to put his face out there into the public arena, and hope someone comes forward to identify him."

"And if they don't, and he doesn't get his memory back?"

"Well, he's not much good to us as a witness without a memory, and unless there is something to link him to this investigation besides being a victim, then he'll be a free man, and it will be up to the appropriate people to do whatever they can to help him to adjust to his 'new' life," she replied.

"I can't imagine not remembering like that," said Charlie, even though part of her would love to forget things right now.

"Yeah, same," said Graves.

"How chatty have the other jailbirds been?"

"As expected, not very," replied Graves. "Callahan did use her phone call to call a lawyer, and hasn't said a word since, same with Upton, though he did answer one question before he called his own lawyer," she said. "Once the doctor had given him the all clear, and he'd been charged at the Station, Const. Hogan asked him about the bag that was found. Upton said he'd seen you drop it and so picked it up as he ran back to the car, figuring there might be something of value to you in it. When Hogan told him what the contents actually contained, he said it was pretty obvious from Upton's reaction, that he hadn't even bothered to look in the bag."

"Good thing he didn't, because that evidence would have disappeared forever."

"Unfortunately, that's all we got from him, because he then demanded to call his lawyer," said Graves. "You look beat," she said to Charlie. "You really should go and get some sleep before you drop on your feet."

Just then, the man in charge of the search and rescue team, walked toward them. Alf Stewart's expression told Charlie all she needed to know. The item of clothing in his hand, confirmed it. Joey was dead.

* * *

She smiled when she finally saw her opportunity. Putting on her sunnies, she strode across the road from where she'd been hiding. She'd seriously contemplated going after Charlie last night, before self-interest had eventually set in, along with the acceptance that it was all over for her. There was no way she could salvage this, or risk going anywhere near the Braxtons, so she had to get away completely. Only she'd decided to make one small detour. This was stupid, this was dangerous, yet here she was, knocking on the door of a woman she'd only spent one night with, but had never really been able to forget.

When the door opened, Leah's eyes opened in surprise at the woman on her doorstep. Her hair was shorter and darker and she looked like she'd lost weight, but there was no mistaking her.

"Oh my god,"

"That's my name," the woman said with a smirk and Leah threw her arms around her, their lips locked in a passionate embrace. Finally, coming up for air, Leah heard the words she'd secretly been hoping for, ever since that night. "Run away with me."

"I'm married."

"Are you happy?"

After that night they'd spent together, sex with Zac had become downright dull and depressing and severely lacking in any enjoyment, at least on her side. It was like being poked with a pencil devoid of any emotional attachment whenever his dick was inside her, unlike how this woman, with one fake cock, had awoken something inside her. She hadn't been able to forget the incredible sex or the way her body had felt. Even that kiss just then, had made her feel more alive than she'd ever felt with Zac.

"Are you happy?" the woman asked again

"Not really."

"Did you tell your husband about me?"

"No."

"Did you tell him about that man and what he had tried to do to you?"

"No."

"Doesn't that tell you something?"

"Yes."

"Then come away with me."

"Who are you?"

"I'm your future."

"I don't even know you."

"Take a chance."

This was crazy. It was irresponsible. It was beyond stupid. All of that was going through Leah's mind, yet when her mouth opened, she said. "Give me five minutes to pack."

"No, just leave everything behind and we'll start anew."

"This is so crazy."

"Yes it is."

Leah grinned and kissed the woman again. Her soft lips left her breathless. "Is this real?"

"Yes."

"I saw you on the news."

"That's not me," she said. "Well, not anymore."

"So what do I call you then?"

"Rose."

She of course knew this woman's real name, but there was a connection between them that called to her, and there was such promise in her eyes. Of excitement, of passion, of wonder, and both her body and mind responded as one. She found herself taking Rose's hand, closing the door behind her and walking out on her old life without a backward glance.


	53. Chapter 53

**Two months later…**

Charlie leant back in her chair, sipping her coffee, while perusing her emails. Desk duty was a welcome relief after the last few months. It wasn't a permanent appointment or even any kind of punishment, since she'd actually been the one to request a transfer from WitSec to Station desk duty. She'd just needed a break after the full-on run for her life saga, that had been followed by an investigation into her own actions. A near daily grilling that had been repeated until the Brass had been satisfied she'd acted appropriately for the situation. At core of their concerns, had been the possibility she'd been in league with Joey in a criminal sense, or at least, in love with Joey. Even her dalliance with Joey on the beach had come up. It had been a deliberate attempt to sell that they were a real couple, and the fact people had believed it, was proof their ruse had worked, had been Charlie's response to all accusations of any impropriety on her part. Since that had been hers and Joey's intention at the time, it wasn't exactly a lie, even if she had left out the part about their unacknowledged attraction to each other at the time, being the real cause of them going overboard with their public display. Still, she wasn't entirely certain she'd convinced everyone, but after a couple of weeks of intense interviews, the matter was no longer being pursued, much to her relief. It had been hard to maintain the lie, and even now, she knew it was one she'd have to carry on forever, because no one could ever know the truth. That she had fallen in love with a criminal.

She sighed as her thoughts turned to the woman she'd never see again. Charlie could still recall with absolute clarity that moment when Alf Stewart had walked over to them, with Joey's bloodied and torn shirt in his hand, and declared it was unlikely Joey would be found alive and that they'd be scaling back the search. She'd barely held it together. A few tears had been allowed to escape and Graves had understood. She'd been tired, anxious and a woman she'd been through hell with had died. It was the first, and probably only, time she'd actually felt Graves hadn't been searching for more in her reaction, which she'd been grateful for at the time. Everything about that moment had become seared in her brain, because it was the moment she'd lost all hope for Joey, and three days later, the search had been stopped altogether. Joey's body had never been found. A coronial inquest was still to be held before Joey could be declared legally dead, but for all intents and purpose, Joey was dead.

In the weeks since Charlie had come to accept Joey's death, her love for Joey hadn't diminished, nor had the pain at losing her. While she'd spent many nights crying herself to sleep, she'd also become better at dealing with it in public, especially around Graves. After that moment of understanding on the bridge, Charlie had made a concerted effort to never let her guard down around Graves, still believing that the young Detective was after that 'gotcha' moment. The lies and the mask of professional detachment she wore to hide her pain in public, had become second nature and instinctive for Charlie these days, so it was far less taxing on her, not that it eased her hurt in anyway. Nothing could really do that, and there were days where she wondered if she'd ever get over Joey and find love again. She'd even tried to dig into Joey's background as a way of coping, but her colleagues hadn't seen the point of wasting resources investigating a dead woman, not when they'd still had others to catch, and so they'd advised her to stop, and upon reflection, Charlie had decided that perhaps it was best not to dig too deep, and just remember Joey for how she'd come to see her. As a woman of strength and love. A woman now lost to her.

Charlie shook her head, preferring not to think like that, especially at work. This was not the time, nor the place, for melancholy. Better to focus on the job. She opened the next email. It was an update from Nick. Even after Graves' assurances about Nick, things had still been a little tense between them when they'd first caught up with each other, but after talking to Nick, Charlie had realised that he really had had her best interests at heart. And for his efforts, Nick had copped an absolute bawling out for the decisions he'd made, especially his decision to keep the original incident quiet for as long as he had, but other than having a reprimand formally placed in his record, he'd escaped relatively unscathed. They both had. It had helped that there was currently a lot of good will in the Police Force with the bringing down of the Braxton Empire, and the successful weeding out of their paid informers.

The fall of the Braxton Empire really had been a sight to behold. By taking down the head, the body had proven incredibly fragile, with loyalty largely forgotten by this stage of events, which was somewhat of a relief to Charlie, as it meant it was unlikely she'd be required to speak in court on Joey's behalf. So much other evidence had been gathered, and along with Joey's evidence bag and witnesses willing to do deals now that Braxton's power was eroding more with each passing day, there was more than enough to lead to convictions, without her having to testify. There was however, one particular court case in which she was actually looking forward to testifying in. Hayley O'Connor's. Tegan and Brodie had taken deals, but Hayley had refused to plead guilty, much to Charlie's fury.

After she'd formally been charged with Joey's murder, Hayley had had quite a bit to say. In fact, she had become quite talkative, both with her denial and the absurd story she'd had to tell. About how someone, she couldn't say who, since she never saw him, had come up from behind her, knocked her out, and that person must have shot Joey, then staged the accident so she'd get the blame. It was a fantastical story, unsupported by the evidence. While Hayley's fingerprints hadn't been on the spent bullet Avery had found, Tegan's had. Hayley, representing herself, had argued that had cleared her, but given it was Tegan's rifle, and she had likely loaded it, it still didn't mean that Hayley hadn't been the one to fire the shot, and since Hayley's fingerprints had been found all over the rifle, including the trigger, she'd have a hard time proving she wasn't the shooter, especially when witnesses had placed the gun in her hands at the vet's surgery, and it had then been found to be in her possession after the car accident. There were also no fresh fingerprints in or outside her car that hadn't been accounted for. Still, to this day, Hayley continued to plead her innocence, to no avail. She'd even tried the old, 'you can't charge me with murder when there is no body' argument. Even Charlie knew of precedents from other cases where a body had never been found, yet a murder conviction had been upheld, so she wasn't too worried about it. The gun used connected Hayley to the shooting, and Charlie had been there to witness Joey being shot and then falling into the water, so Hayley was going down, and so all she was doing with her ridiculous storytelling, was trying to delay the inevitable as far as Charlie was concerned, which just made her despise the woman even more. That bitch had taken Joey from her, and for that, she'd never forgive her and would look forward to the day when the guilty verdict came in.

Charlie did have to admit though, there were some small inconsistencies with the evidence. As Robertson had suggested, there had been a tracking app on both Tegan and Hayley's phones, which explained how Hayley had tracked them to the bridge. The text, ' _YOU'RE DEAD!',_ had also been found in the sent logs on Hayley's phone, but Hayley had denied sending that message, just as Tegan had denied making any call while she'd been in the bush chasing Joey, and since that call had been made to a pre-paid phone linked to a fake identity, and was no longer in use, it was untraceable. Every other number on both Tegan and Hayley's phones were accounted for, except for that one. Whom had it been made too? They really had no idea. All the phones and records confiscated in all their other raids during the course of the investigation, had also failed to turn up any trace of that call being made to any individual within the Braxton organisation. Graves had raised the possibility that perhaps Joey had made the call, since she'd been the last one to have possession of the phone, but they'd had no way to prove that, and for once when it came to answering a question about Joey, Charlie had been able to reply with the truth. She really hadn't known about that phone call at the time, because Joey had never mentioned it. If she had made the call, who was it to and why? She honestly didn't know, and it was one thing that did bother her, because everything else was falling into place, except for that one phone call.

"Oh well," she murmured. In the overall scheme of things, it was one small detail, an annoying one, but small in comparison to the whole picture which was still constantly unfolding before them. The investigators had managed to piece together quite a trail of crime from the phone records of various suspects, even linking them to people that hadn't previously been on their radar, but the most amazing development wasn't the little minions and others turning on their former boss and friends, it was Heath Braxton turning police informant on his brother.


	54. Chapter 54

Brax's initial arrest and word of the bag of evidence had already loosened some tongues in the early stages, but it was Heath Braxton's decision to turn on his brother which had proven the ultimate catalyst. Once that news did the rounds, it became dog eat dog, one willing to rat on the other. It had been both amusing and slightly horrifying to see friendships and families torn apart because of self-interest and fear. Heath's decision had stunned everyone. The Braxtons had always been known for their unbreakable bond of loyalty, until his affair with his sister-in-law had become public news. In a fit of rage at everything crumbling around him, Brax had lashed out at the person nearest him, his wife Bianca. He'd shoved her so hard, she'd stumbled off balance and her belly had struck the edge of the table with enough force, she'd nearly lost the baby. Heath's reaction, which had been to beat up his brother, had been unexpected at first, and may have remained so, if Bianca hadn't then blurted out that he was the father of her unborn child. It was just as well that both brothers had breached their bail conditions with their respective assaults and had immediately been re-arrested and placed in separate cellblocks, or things could have gotten even worse. As it was, the corrections officers had to have both men under constant surveillance to prevent further retaliation. A few days of constantly watching his back for one of Brax's goons to get him, had tipped Heath over the edge, and he'd offered himself up for a deal, with some conditions.

Witness protection for he, Bianca and his eldest child, Darcy, and freedom from prosecution for both he and his younger brothers. Casey had surprised everyone by turning himself in the day after hearing that all his brothers had been arrested, including Kyle, who had been captured trying to leave Summer Bay the morning after Joey was lost. There was enough evidence against Kyle to see him lose a few years behind bars with his brothers, including his involvement in Harvey Ryan's murder, but under the deal offered to Heath, he would serve only 12 months in a minimum security prison. Heath had refused to take the deal at first, but Kyle had chosen to accept it, as well as to provide his own well of information to the police. He'd appeared worn down by the whole ordeal, and unlike his two older brothers, he'd actually demonstrated remorse, and so the deal had gone through.

As for Casey, it'd been simple to accommodate Heath's request, since there was no evidence at all against him, and by all accounts, he'd done a runner to avoid being forced to do the wrong thing. Charlie held some admiration for the teenager, who was barely an adult, and not just because he had wanted no part in killing her or Joey, but that he'd had the guts to get out before he was in too deep. Not even Joey had managed to do that. She sighed at that, wondering what Joey would have been like if she'd never been sucked into that life. Charlie shook her head, reminding herself once more, that thinking about Joey at work was never a good idea. Get your mind back on the job, she told herself. Casey Braxton, that's right. He'd escape charges, and on Kyle's advice, had returned to the place he'd felt the most peace, Summer Bay. From what she'd heard through others, he'd come clean to Alf Stewart and Ruby, and they'd accepted him back. Apparently he was also awaiting the birth of his child, and had already hired Alf's sister, a prominent lawyer, to go for custody. With the soon-to-be-mum in jail on drugs charges, and hardly playing the model prisoner, he stood a good chance of getting custody. Charlie just hoped that for his own sake and that of his child's, that Casey could continue to avoid the pitfalls of his family.

Family. Charlie had a little chuckle at that. In the end, it really had been family that had helped completely tear the Braxtons apart, with the help of a single woman who had come between two brothers. While Heath Braxton may have lacked the intelligence and charm of his older brother, he was having the last laugh on him. Charlie had no idea where he now was, but he was living with the woman he loved, and unlikely to ever see the inside of a jail cell again, as long as he continued to abide by the terms of his agreement. That didn't sit too well with Charlie, but she knew from her position in WitSec, that sometimes you had to deal with the worst kind of people, in order to get to the main guy, and from what Robertson had said, Heath had had plenty to say. A large drug deal that had been in the works for some time, had still been planned to go ahead, even with both senior Braxtons in jail. Heath had coughed up the details and they'd netted some lovely criminals in the process, along with the largest ever quantity of drugs confiscated in this country in one bust. And it didn't end there. Heath had also pointed them to where they could get evidence against the Pirovics, including for Angelo's murder. Harmon Pirovic had been charged with Angelo Rosetta's murder, while his brother Jake, had died during a shoot out with Police. Yet it was the information Heath had provided about his older brother that had done the most damage, to both the family and the organisation. Brax's lawyers had no hope of getting him off and were actively encouraging him to take a deal, which he was refusing. While he still dreamt of freedom, Brax hadn't given up, and though he was now without his powerbase on the outside of those prison walls, he'd quickly taken over on the inside, with the help of Pirovic and others who had remained loyal to Brax. Charlie didn't envy the Governor and his security officers having to deal with the constant headache Brax would be giving them. That wasn't her problem though, and she took a good deal of satisfaction from knowing that all Brax now had, was a bunch of prisoners on the inside. He'd lost it all, while his brother remained all but free and shagging his wife.

Part of Charlie still hoped that Heath slipped up and lost his immunity, but if that didn't happen, then she had to be satisfied with him having to leave his three eldest children behind. He'd loved all three, but now he was cut off from them forever. Even Tegan had come out on top there, after Heath had originally intended to take their daughter with him, since Tegan was going to be languishing in jail for a long time. However, Tegan had had other ideas. Realising Robertson had been serious about keeping Tegan from her daughter as much as possible, Tegan had become a little more talkative, especially after Robertson had casually dropped the bombshell that Heath was looking to disappear into witness protection with their daughter, where she'd never see Darcy again. Robertson had promised to stop that from happening and to do what he could to get her greater access to her daughter, in return for her full cooperation. Tegan had railed furiously on Heath and given up information that Heath had neglected to mention. It was all a rather messy affair, but very informative for the police. With the new information, Robertson had had even more sway over Heath, along with the very real threat of losing his deal with the Crown if he continued to leave relevant information out. Heath had also agreed to leave Darcy in the custody of Tegan's mother, rather than take her from Tegan completely. Robertson was nothing, if not true to his word.

Of course, Robertson was absolutely revelling in the chaos. He'd hooked the big fish, his future was set and a promotion already in the offering. Charlie was happy for him. As annoying as he could be at times, he put in a lot of hard work, often more than most, and deserved the recognition he was now achieving. And she really did have to admire the skill Robertson had used to turn these people against each other. He was proving to be the chess master who had checkmated Darryl Braxton. He'd even managed to get Tegan to fess up on their mystery man, since their search had turned up nothing on him. In return for a promise that Hayley would be incarcerated in the same prison wing as her while she awaited her trial, Tegan had told them all they needed to know about their man. Which, unfortunately, wasn't much.

They knew his name at least. Aden Jeffries. As to who he was, Tegan claimed she didn't really know him, other than he was a friend of Joey's, and Robertson had been inclined to believe her. The name at least, had lead to them finding out he had been in foster care around the same time as Joey. There were no records of them having been in the same foster house, but there was clear evidence that his records had been tampered with, just as there had been missing information with Joey's. Robertson had speculated that they had indeed known each other as foster kids, and had either kept in touch or met up at some later stage after they'd left the system, but that was about as far as it went. There was nothing remarkable about this man, much as there had been nothing remarkable about Joey when her background had first been looked into. They now knew differently about Joey, but their hands were somewhat tied when it came to Aden Jeffries. No other person had come forward with any further information about him, nor had his memory returned, and without any direct evidence to Joey other than Tegan's assertion he was a friend of hers, or any link to criminal behaviour, with not even an errant fingerprint at a crime scene, he'd been left largely alone. That may change should his memory return or new evidence comes to light, but for now, he was living in the spare room of Belle Taylor's flat in Summer Bay, where thanks to her stories in the local paper, he'd become quite the local cult figure.

Charlie sat back in her chair as she thought about Jeffries. She'd actually gone to visit him in hospital before she'd left Summer Bay. She hadn't known what to expect. Perhaps some silly idea his memory would come back and he'd tell her something of Joey and who she'd been. None of that had happened. All she'd seen was a frighted, confused man who'd been through hell, so she'd left him alone. He couldn't help her.

"Hey Charlie, you got a moment?" Graves said as she brought over a chair from the desk next to Charlie's and sat down. Charlie's automatic defence barrier had gone up at the sound of her voice.

"Sure," she said.

"Just thought I'd let you know, that our little canary finally gave us something of substance on your mate, Georgie."

"She's hardly my mate," Charlie said with a wry smile, knowing that Graves loved nothing better than to tease her about Watson, especially after she'd made a full, and truthful account of what had happened in that Motel room. It had been embarrassing to reveal she'd been seduced by her ex-partner, even if it had been drug induced. That it had only happened because she'd first let Watson get under her guard with her blatant flirting, still stung.

"Anyway, we now know more about her." Graves handed over a file to Charlie.

"Her father ran with Danny Braxton and his bunch of criminal mates," said Charlie as she read the file. "How was this not picked up when she entered the Academy?" Not that it would have automatically ruled her out, since children couldn't be punished for their parent's actions, but it would have ensured she had never been anywhere near the Braxton investigation in the first place.

"It wasn't known, since Watson's mother was never married to him and had left it as father unknown on her birth certificate. Heath said it was out of spite to get back at him after she'd caught him cheating," Graves explained. "She never changed it, and as it turned out, it worked to Watson's advantage once she joined the Force. We literally had no idea who she really was."

"Did she become a cop with the sole reason of being a Braxton mole?"

"Not at first. I get the impression she was originally following in her stepfather's footsteps. Sgt Michael Watson was a good cop and a good father to her, and those close to the family, claim that his daughter had already decided to become a cop like him, just before he was killed in a car accident with her mother."

"How old was she?"

"She was fourteen when it happened, and according to Heath, it was around that time that her real father popped out of the woodworks and made contact with her," Graves told her.

"A kid grieving for her parents would have made her easy prey to a conman like that," said Charlie.

"Exactly," said Graves. "He basically brought her into the Braxton fold, told her how to hide in plain sight and most of all, he told her to never tell anyone about him. The aunt that took her in after her parents died, had had no idea she'd ever reconnected to her father, not even when the aunt had seen his name in the obits some years ago. Her niece had never made any mention of him at all, and as far as she'd been aware, Watson had always believed her step-dad had been her real dad."

"Well regardless of what her original intent behind becoming a cop had been, she was pretty much always one of the Braxton's cops from the moment she put the uniform on," Charlie murmured.

"At least until near the end," replied Graves. "Something else has come up as well. We've gotten a better idea of the path Watson took when she was after you, and a body turned up in one of the towns we can now place her at."

"Who?"

"Some lowlife rapist who won't be missed by anyone other than family," she said. "We're not even sure if Watson was responsible, but given what we know about her, she's now a suspect."

Charlie took the next file from Graves and glanced at it.

"I remember that place," murmured Charlie. "Whoa, the killer cut off his dick?"

"Yeah, that kind of stood out," said Graves. "Especially when you said Watson had called Wilson a dickless wanker. That alone is a flimsy connection, but the hood of the car found at the scene of the murder had been wiped clean of dirt and fingerprints, and the local coppers investigating it, now believe it was committed by someone who knew how to cover their tracks."

"Like a cop."

"Exactly. Now, the cops hadn't exactly been dragging their feet in investigating the death of a rapist, but they hadn't exactly devoted a lot of resources to it either."

"And now?"

"They're going to have to get off their backsides and do something if Watson is involved," she said. "Another thing, it appears that a local waitress disappeared not long after. Rumours are now flying around that she was there that night, and that she was later seen getting into the car of a woman."

"Watson?"

"Could be," said Graves. "Watson does match the description of a police officer seen chatting this woman up earlier in the day. We're not quite sure whether the waitress was the intended victim of Cruze and Watson came to help, or whether Cruze mistook Watson for an easy target and the waitress was a witness, but it does appear that Watson could have some connection to this woman."

"What about the woman?"

"Mid-thirties, married, but hubby was away a lot, and so maybe she was a little bored, because after her disappearance, a neighbour came forward to say she'd heard sounds of a woman enjoying herself immensely while the husband was still away," Graves told her. "That was the night Cruze met his maker, so if the person making the waitress scream in enjoyment was Watson, it might explain why both completely vanished around the same time, since this woman did disappear only hours after the last sighting of Watson," she said. "Of course, it's all just pure speculation. We don't actually know if Watson and this woman spent the night fucking each other's brains out or if she was doing someone else in her husband's bed."

"But for all we know, Watson could be shacked up with some man's wife, having the time of her life."

"I know how much you want her found, we all do, but Watson knows what she's doing, and it's looking more likely that she may be one of the fish that gets away."

"Bitch," Charlie muttered.

"I'm sorry Charlie."

"I know everyone is doing all they can, I just hate the idea that she's out there, free."

"Not really free," Graves said. "She's going to spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder, wandering when her past will catch up."

"I just hope it does catch up," Charlie said. She noticed the sudden transformation that just came over her colleague's face. She knew that look. It was the look Graves got every time her boyfriend was nearby. Dex Walker, who coincidently, was also Charlie's new partner, was the most unassuming officer she'd ever met, but also surprising effective. She smirked at the even bigger smile on Graves' face when her eyes met her boyfriend's.

They all knew the story, of how Dex and Graves had started dating the moment they had both returned to their usual duties, and were no longer partnered up. Graves had admitted that it had nearly driven her insane to spend so much time with Dex, yet forced to keep her distance, and so she'd taken a chance and asked Dex out the moment their positions were no longer in the way. Ever since then, they'd been inseparable, and though they'd made no official announcement, they were pretty much living together. It was quick, and others had warned them to slow down, but Graves had argued that it felt right and she didn't care what others thought. He'd broken down all her barriers, and for the first time in her life, she was enjoying waking up in her own bed with someone by her side. Her job remained her focus, it was just that she now had other priorities as well. It was a balance she'd been looking for.

Charlie felt a pang of jealousy at the happiness displayed on both their faces, but she wished them well. She smiled and nodded when Dex strode over to them.

"Hey partner," she said.

"Howdy partner," he said in his best cowboy talk that had Charlie smiling even wider. He really was fun to be around. "I picked up the mail on the way in, there's one for you."

Charlie frowned as she looked at the postcard, then she gasped as the implications of it set in. She quickly hid the reaction as a cough and reached for her water. The name on the postcard was that of the old homophobe from the B'n'B. That wasn't all. There was a message.

"Surfing it up in my new one piece swimsuit."

There was more. Could it be? Could it really be?

* * *

"You're going to love Summer Bay," Shauna Bradley said to her girlfriend.

"I know I will," said Steph, her face not revealing she'd heard of Summer Bay before or why she had. She'd survived the flushing out of Braxton flunkies, since she had never been one of them. She was an opportunist, nothing more, and when the investigators had come knocking on her door, wanting to know of any phone calls Watson had made to her over the years, she'd done exactly what she'd told Watson she'd do. Claimed she'd only be fulfilling an officer's request for information. She'd always been careful with the favours she had asked for in return, and so they'd had nothing on her. Still, it had nearly cost her her relationship with Shauna though. As a Constable, Shauna was well aware that associating with anyone with a connection or even a perceived connection, to the Braxtons or their flunkies, could be misconstrued, but after an intense night of convincing her, Shauna had finally accepted her story, that she'd known nothing. Thank god. She'd come to care a great deal for Shauna, to the point she may even give her side business away. Almost.

Steph spared a thought for Watson. She hoped the arrangements she'd made had worked out for her as much as the favours Watson had given to her had. Be safe, she silently wished for her former lover, then she pushed her from her thoughts for the last time. Shauna was the only woman she wanted in her thoughts from now on.


	55. Chapter 55

The heat hit Charlie as soon as she left the airport. She couldn't quite believe what she was doing. That she'd actually taken the long service leave her colleagues had been encouraging her to take ever since she'd been cleared, and not only that, she had then travelled half way around the world, all because of some cryptic message on a postcard. It was ridiculous, it was reckless, yet here she was, in a foreign country, desperately hoping that she hadn't made a huge mistake, that in her desperation and loneliness, she hadn't completely misread the situation. Even now, she wasn't entirely sure, because her mind was still in constant state of flux, and had been from the moment the meaning of that postcard had hit her. She'd go between reanalysing every minute of that night on the bridge, to new theories about that mystery phone call, to how Joey may have faked her death, and then she'd swing back to how utterly sad and desperate she was, because Joey was dead and she was now just looking for an excuse to ignore that reality.

Yet here she was. Charlie looked around at her surroundings. Even from here, she could see the beach. It looked lovely. Everything looked lovely, but that doubt persisted.

"Oh god, what the hell am I doing here?"

"Looking for me, I hope."

Charlie stilled momentarily at the voice, then she swung around. Not even stopping to wonder how Joey knew to be waiting for her since she'd told no one where she was going, Charlie rushed into her arms, their lips meeting in a long, passionate kiss. Everything after that kiss was a blur to both women, but somehow, they must have driven to Joey's place, undressed and reacquainted themselves with each other, because Charlie was now lying naked in Joey's bed, their skin glistening in the aftermath of some very intensive lovemaking.

"So, do you really have a new one piece?" Charlie asked as she leisurely ran her hand along Joey's skin.

"What do you reckon?"

"That you actually have the skimpiest bikini possible," said Charlie.

"I'll wear it for you later," she promised.

"I still can't believe I hopped onto a plane and flew half way around the world, just because of a mention of a one piece swimsuit on a postcard."

"Well, I had to find something that would resonate with you, yet wouldn't raise the wrong kind of suspicions with others, and teasing you about your one piece and using that homophobe's name seemed a starting point."

"And if I hadn't have gotten the reference?"

"I may have had to resort to less subtle tactics," Joey said. "I was terrified though, that even if you figured it out, you wouldn't come looking for me, not after everything I put you through."

"I didn't even hesitate," Charlie admitted. "Even though part of me kept thinking that this could all be nothing but a wild goose chase, I couldn't stay away."

"I'm glad you came."

"I'm glad I did as well," said Charlie. "I've missed you so much."

"And I've missed you."

"Yet you let me believe you were dead," Charlie said.

"I am so sorry for that."

"I've spent the whole plane ride thinking it over, wondering how you did it. It was you who had used Tegan's phone to make that call we couldn't trace," Charlie said matter-of-factly, and Joey nodded in reply. "You called that friend again, the one that brought that bag to you." Again Joey nodded. "And he helped you fake your death." Another nod from Joey. "But why?" she said. "You were already leaving, why go to that extreme and have everyone, including me, believing that you were dead?"

"Daryl Braxton holds a grudge like no other, and I betrayed him, big time," replied Joey. "And that last day in Summer Bay, I came to realise, that no matter where I ran to, I'd always be looking over my shoulder, just waiting for someone to kill me, and so I felt my only option was to have everyone believe I was dead, and therefore no longer a threat," she explained. "Dying was the only way I could truly be free, and as much as I hated to leave in that way, I felt it was best for the both of us."

"Best for the both of us?" Charlie said with some real heat in her voice. "Best for you perhaps, but Joey, I was devastated, and I had no one I could talk to about how lost I was."

"And I'm so sorry I put you through that, but at the time, it felt like the right decision," she told her. "I was trying to protect you as well, because if I just ran away, then there was nothing to stop others from turning up on your doorstep, asking questions that come with a lot of pain."

"Right now, Daryl Braxton has a lot more pressing issues on his mind, than getting revenge on you," Charlie told her. "Not to mention, he's lost his powerbase since Heath and others have turned on him."

"On the outside, but how long before his growing influence on the inside, spreads yet again to the outside," said Joey. "Not everyone in that jail will be in there forever, and if history tells us anything, it's that Daryl Braxton knows how to manipulate and use others to his own advantage," she told her. "And he has plenty of time to cultivate them inside, then send them out to do his bidding when they're released. I'm telling you Charlie, Brax isn't done just yet."

"Look, you obviously know him better than I do, but I honestly believe he's been seriously wounded by the defection of his brother, and he's not going to find the same kind of traction with people he once did," Charlie said. "He's also under constant surveillance inside, Joey, and all those prisoners he interacts with will be watched whenever they're released."

Joey sighed. "Maybe things will be different now that people see that loyalty isn't all it's cracked up to be," Joey murmured. "But at the time, I genuinely thought that faking my death was the only way to go," she said. "I mean, Brax had always found a way to avoid getting his comeuppance, and I didn't think this would be any different," she explained. "I just never foresaw his brother betraying him like that."

"I can understand why you did it, but it hurt so much Joey, to believe that you were dead," she said. "I stood on that bridge for hours, trying to hold onto hope that you'd somehow be found alive."

"I wish I could go back and do things differently, but if we've both learnt anything over this journey, it's that what's done is done, there's no changing that." Joey reached out and gently stroked Charlie's cheek. "I never wanted to hurt you, but I seem to have this knack for doing just that."

Charlie took Joey's hand in hers, and kissed the palm. She still held some resentment and anger for what Joey had put her through, but the overriding emotions she'd felt since she'd heard Joey's voice, had been relief, joy and contentment. Those three were the emotions she wanted to hold onto.

"It's not all your fault," said Charlie. "We both found ourselves in this impossible situation, and whether you ended up in jail, ran away or ended up dead for real, we'd both still have ended up suffering in some way."

"It doesn't make me feel any less guilty."

"Well, I know how you can make me feel better," Charlie said with a smirk.

"I thought I already did that."

"Come now Joey, you have a lot to make up for, and you've barely even started."

Joey was grinning from ear-to-ear as Charlie said that.

"Just one thing though," said Charlie. "Should I be worried that you fake it?" she joked.

"I can promise you that everything I feel for you is 100% real," Joey assured her with a smile. "Why don't you feel for yourself?"

"Now that is an invitation I can't resist," Charlie said, her hands and mouth feeling every inch of Joey.

* * *

The curtains were open. The woman's hands gripped the binoculars tighter in fury as she watched that bitch being taken like a dog in heat by her slut. She watched every second, waiting for her moment.

* * *

Once more lying in sated bliss, Charlie lay cuddled up to Joey.

"Joey, can you tell me one other thing?"

"Sure."

"I know now you had help, but how did Hayley fit into it exactly? I mean, Hayley denied killing you, which I can now personally attest to as being true," she said with a wry grin. "So does that mean the rest of her story is also true, because it had seemed so fantastical at the time," Charlie said. "That someone came up behind her, knocked her out and that person then shot you, and staged the car accident and set her up as the patsy."

"That's pretty much what happened," said Joey.

"The one who grabbed her, was the friend you called," she murmured.

"After our meeting, he'd decided to hang around just outside of town, just in case I needed him again."

"Which you did."

"Yeah, anyway, he headed straight back into town when the first lot of shooting was reported on the radio," she explained. "He caught sight of Tegan and Hayley in their car and followed them."

"He was there, at the vet's place?"

Joey nodded. "He was about to intervene when he saw Pee Wee, Tegan and Hayley all split up."

"So that's when he got to Hayley."

"He grabbed her just as she got to her car," she said.

"I'm guessing you also knew exactly where we were going in the bush, didn't you, because you'd called him after you'd taken care of Tegan, and he told you where to go."

Yet again, Joey nodded. "He'd been studying all the maps of the area, so he'd know the best way out if things went bad."

"A habit you also have," Charlie murmured quietly. "So, you knew where to go, and that's why you stopped on the bridge, because you were waiting for a signal," said Charlie. "The text message."

"Yeah," Joey said.

"I can see where this is going now," Charlie murmured. "Your friend must have fired wide, but you grabbed at your shoulder as if you'd been hit, and the blood I saw seeping between your fingers, was because you made your earlier wound bleed more," she said. "That also accounts for the spent shell from Tegan's rifle being found where the shooter had been standing. With the gun found on her, along with the text message your friend had sent from her phone, it all pointed to Hayley's guilt."

"Yeah."

"And the scent the dogs picked up, that had been your friend's. They followed him back to the car, he drove off far enough they'd lose his scent, then he staged the car accident."

"Yep, that's pretty much it."

"So Hayley really is innocent?"

"That's not a word I'd ever use to describe that woman."

"But Joey, she's in jail for a crime she didn't commit."

"Are you going to inform the authorities of that?"

Charlie genuinely couldn't answer that. Once, in the past, it would have been a quick, yes, do the right thing, but so much had changed over the duration of this saga, including how she viewed things. Besides, how could she explain it? My dead lover told me? There was no evidence to support it, other than the word of a dead woman. Maybe she'd make an anonymous call, and let others figure it out, or maybe she'd just let sleeping dogs lie, at least while she was here with Joey. Deal with it later. Same with what happened to Joey after she went over the bridge, into the water. Later, because right now, she just wanted to enjoy Joey, over and over again.

* * *

They were at it again. Fucking like they didn't have a care in the world. That would soon change.

* * *

An hour later, Charlie and Joey were sitting around the table, reenergising themselves with a well-earned meal.

"Just so you know, you're not officially dead just yet," Charlie told her. "At least not until after the coronial inquest makes its finding."

"I know."

"You know a lot for someone who's been on the other side of the world," said Charlie.

Joey just smiled at her.

"What about Aden Jeffries, he is more than just a friend, isn't he?"

"My foster brother."

"And I'm guessing you know that he's doing much better now, even though his memory hasn't come back."

"Let's just say that Aden has a guardian angel watching over him."

"The same guardian angel who bought you that bag, who faked your death," Charlie said. "The one who taught you to shoot," she said. "He's the foster father who made you feel included, and wanted."

"I can't betray his trust Charlie, not even for you," she said, unsurprised by how much Charlie had managed to piece together. "He's risked so much for us, and that's all I will ever say on him."

"Ok, tell me this though," Charlie said. "Is he also watching over me, and that's how you knew which Station I had transferred to in order to send the postcard, and how you knew I was on that plane and when to be waiting for me."

"Not him exactly, but someone he knows and trusts."

"Did you ask him to do that?"

"Yeah, I wanted to make sure you were safe, but also to know how you were doing." Joey reached over and took Charlie's hand. "I just wish I had contacted you sooner, so you wouldn't have had to stress so much," she said. "It was just too risky while you were still being questioned, so I waited."

"I get it Joey, I really do," she said. "So how about we set that all aside for now, and just enjoy our time together."

Charlie had no idea what the future would hold for her. Would she return home to where she had no family, only friends, and a career she still loved, even though her enthusiasm had dulled for it somewhat. Or did she leave that all behind and stay in the arms of the woman she loved? She honestly had no idea, but she intended to enjoy these next few weeks before she made any decision.

* * *

Her hands gripped the binoculars even more tightly at the moment of that bitch's climax.

"Watson."

The name was bitter on her tongue as she saw the woman rock back and forth in pleasure as her slut continued to fuck her toward another climax. That woman was happy with her slutty waitress. She had no right to be, not after what she'd done. Zoe had always known the police had had little interest in finding her brother's killer. They'd written him off as a rapist and so had put little effort into the investigation, so she'd been forced to do their work for them. She'd found out the waitress had been the last person in the Diner the night her brother was murdered. There had been something off with the woman, a feeling that she was hiding a secret or something, so Zoe had watched her, at the diner, and at her house, day after day. Then she had arrived. That disguise had fooled Zoe at first, but then it had clicked. It was the crooked cop from the news, and she was kissing that woman. Then it had all made sense. They'd murdered her brother to cover up their affair, and they were now planning on running off together. So she'd followed them. She had no idea who that broad with the big tits had been that they'd met up with, or what she'd handed to them, not until she'd followed them to the airport, and realised it must have been fake passports and identities.

After seeing what their destination had been, she'd set about arranging things. It had taken time, and a lot of money to find them again once she got here, but she had. Rose and Elly had found a safe, new life together overseas. Or so they thought. Soon, she'd have justice for her brother.

 **THE END**

 _Thanks for reading everybody. Taking a break from writing for a few weeks. Will be back with a new story soon._


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